Beyond Western
by Bat13SJx
Summary: This story continues from my first story: Banshee. The story is taken place a couple years into the future. Bill has finally taken over Dirt, Banshee is a wanted "outlaw," and most of the citizens of Dirt are now Bill's slaves. The first couple of chapters will explain more. Mostly, this story is what the title states. It has a lot more things going on.
1. Chapter 1:Wanted

**Sorry if this part is confusing. This story is a continuation from my first story: Banshee. This story, somewhat takes place in the future. ****The story will make more sense later on. I hope you enjoy :)**

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"_Where are we going, Priscilla?" I asked as I walked along the street dirt road of Dirt. Priscilla didn't answer me as she kept her eyes glued straight forward. I closed my mouth and continued to follow her. _

_Suddenly a series of whoops and gunshots were heard from inside the Gas Can Saloon. Priscilla and I stopped and turned. Bad Bill and his gang laughed as they rolled out of the saloon. They were drunk. My eyes widened. _What were they doing here? What was going on? _I asked myself in my head._

_They laughed and fired more rounds of bullets into the air. Kinski tilted his head way back and chugged a whole bottle in seconds. He chucked the bottle to the ground, where it shattered into a million pieces. Priscilla and I started to back away from them, not wanting to get hit by one of the bullets. _

_Stump leaned against Chorizo, laughing and drinking alcohol out of a bottle. Chorizo hiccupped and laughed as he tried to aim his gun at a couple of hanging bottles. Bang! The bullet whizzed by the bottle he was aiming for, and chipped a chunk off a wooden post instead. The gang guffawed some more and started firing some more rounds at random objects. A couple of the townspeople who were strolling along, screamed and ran into the nearest building or behind a barrel, so they wouldn't get hit. The four men staggered along, tripping over their own feet and drowning themselves in fire burning alcohol. _

_Suddenly, the four drunks spotted us. "Banshheee, nice ta sssee ya," slurred Chorizo in a cheerful voice. I backed away from them, pulling Priscilla away as well. "Whassh wrong Banshheee? Why donsha come 'ere?" asked Kinski grinning, revealing a row of yellow rotting teeth. They approached us, grinning a couple of creepy smiles, as Priscilla and I walked backwards away from them in terror. Suddenly they quickened their pace and attacked. _

_Pricilla and I screamed and bolted. Priscilla got out of Stump's reach and kept running down the street…I wasn't so lucky. I felt their rough hands grip my shoulders and wings. I kicked and struggled in their grasp. The gang just laughed as they pinned my wings down to my sides. _

"_Stop it!" I yelled angrily. They ignored my screaming as they continued to harass me. I saw Priscilla stop from a distance. She saw me in the outlaws' clutches and gasped. "I'll go get Sheriff Rango!" she yelled to me and quickly ran off to the sheriff's office. I fought with the gang. I tried screaming, but I felt very weak. _

_..._

_Just then, I saw Priscilla and Rango. Priscilla walked right behind Rango as he slowly approached the four gunmen. Rango jutted his chin out and stuck his head up, trying to look fearless. Chorizo, Bill, Kinski and Stump loosened their grip on me a bit. I started to move but Bill shoved his gun against my temple, making me stop. Rango gave them all a hard glare. "Bill?! You and yer gang are causin' some tribulation here, I'm gonna have to ask you to discontinue your misconduct and proceed with it someplace else!" Rango demanded in a firm voice. _

_Bill and his gang stopped and turned to the sheriff, swaying a bit where they stood. Suddenly they shoved me away, making me fall onto the hard pack dirt road. The gang got into their shooting stance. Their hands hovering over their guns. Kinski sneered, drool seeping out from his mouth, Chorizo growled, his eyes flashed red, Stump cocked his head with a wild look in his eye, and Bill snarled, baring his teeth. _

_Rango's eyes widened, his body started to shake in fear, but he stayed where he stood. "Er…g-gents, now l-ets not get hasty," Rango started, putting his hands up. "W-we don't have to start sh-shooting each other to come to a resolution…" started Rango, trying to talk his way out of the confrontation. Priscilla helped me up from the dirt, my wings scratched and bloody. We held our breaths as we watched the face-off. _

_Suddenly the gang pulled out their guns, aimed them at Rango, and pulled the hammers back. Rango pulled his gun out. The bullet holder flipped out, it was empty. Rango's eyes widened and he gulped loudly. Priscilla and I gasped. The gang grinned evilly. _

_All of a sudden, before we could react, Rango's posse: Beans, Waffles, Spoons, Elgin, Mr. Furgus, Buford, Ambrose, Sergeant Turley, Wounded Bird, and Doc, came out of nowhere and fired their rifles and guns at the four drunk outlaws. The air was filled with the sound of guns going off. _

"_No!" I screamed as I watched in horror as the four gunslingers were shot in the stomach by billions of bullets. Their bodies fell backwards. Their guts exploding with chunks of flesh and blood-_

I screamed as I sat bolt upright. Sweat poured down my face. I took a couple of deep breaths. Calming myself down. _It was just a dream…just a dream… _I repeated in my head. I touched my head with my wing. My heart pounded. It wasn't just a dream... it was _the _dream... The dream felt so real. It didn't make any sense. The dream would change slightly every night, but it was always the same...Is that normal?

I blinked and looked around. I found myself in a dark, cold ally way. Trash littered the place. Graffitti was seen across the long, narrow walls. I looked up. It was still dark outside. I rubbed my eyes and got up. I couldnt go back to sleep. It didn't matter to me anyway, I had to get myself home.

...

I walked down the ally way toward the festive lights. I stopped and peeked out onto the busy street of Main that was part of Bill's City, hiding behind a decorated wooden post, that was supporting one of the ten casino places in the city. I wore a long black cloak to hide my wings. I pulled the hood over my head and ears as I briskly walked down the long brightly lit streets of the Las Vegas like city that was once known as Dirt...

_The past couple of years were the worst years that the citizens of Dirt and I could last remember. To summarize, Bill has become ruler of the town. How did he become ruler you may ask? It's not a happy story… nor it has a happy ending. Bill killed Rango in a showdown…already sums it all up. _

The whole town was a witness to the horrible event, and still haunts its' citizens to this day. To make matters worse, Rango's body disappeared. Mr. Black was the last person to see him since he was getting his coffin ready for the funeral, but after that, no one saw Mr. Black, even his shop. It was as if he disappeared off of the face of the earth. No one knows where Rango's deceased body, or Mr. Black went, but rumors say that the "Spirit of the West" took Rango's body and has taken it to "The Other Side," a story Rango has mentioned countless times. Everyone lost all hope after that…Mr. Black's disappearance was still a mystery.

The citizens were forced to "upgrade" the town. Bill has seen Las Vegas, and was told about it from the last mayor who too wanted to try and take over the town. Bill somewhat made the Mayor's desire come to life and now it has become a new "civilized place," as Bill always says.

It was dusk, the moon was just starting to come up. I ignored it as I tried to make it past the crowds of people as they made their way to the machines to waste their money. Bill's Hotel like building, loomed over the city. It was a huge, thirty to thirty five story building. All of its windows were covered up, where no light could come through. Bill was never really much a secretive person. It sometimes felt as if Bill knew where I was and was watching me from above. It always gave me chills. I didn't really know why the thick black curtains were drawn, but Bill and his henchmen: Chorizo and Stump, had their reasons… reasons that I didn't want to know.

I passed by a couple of wanted posters that had my name and face on it. The price for my capture, dead or alive, was $100,000. Enough to waste it all on beer, and hours of feeding the slot machines. I was wanted because of the many reasons Bill hated me. Mostly because i tricked him and became a member of his gang a couple years ago.

I escaped his clutches and now live with the rest of the towns citizens, which included Rango's original posse, Petunia, (Stub's little sister) and Priscilla. We all live underground, our safe haven. The rest of the town's citizens were either a slave to Bill and work at the casinos. When Bill's Casino City came up, everyone from every town far and wide in the Mojave Desert, came to waste their lives and money away on the machines, the games, and the whore houses…sadly. Bill has hired some men from different towns to become his "Security Guards" as we call them. There are over four hundred of them, and they're everywhere. Always on the lookout for anything suspicious…like a cloaked figure-

"Hey! You in the black cloak! Stop!" yelled one of Bill's security men as he pushed his way through the crowds to me. I snapped out of my thoughts and saw a couple of security guards approaching me in their white uniforms. I took my chances and ran. I pushed and made my way through the street and into one of the casinos. I kept running, with my face hidden as I ran through the maze of slot machines and poker tables.

As I ran through the huge room, I noticed a lot of people I knew that were once the normal citizens of Dirt, now the dealers of Bill's casinos. Slaves. I saw Ricochet and Stub, wearing red vests over white long sleeve shirts as they dealed out the cards to a couple of drunk creatures. Their somber eyes slowly shifting back and forth as they flicked the cards right and left. Dark bags hung under their eyes, as if they haven't been able to get much sleep in days. They didn't notice me as I ran by.

I felt horrible. I wanted to help them, but I was in the middle of a chase. _Next time you'll help them, _I told myself. I dove under a table and out the other side. I turned my head to see if the uniformed security guards were still after me.

The security guards just crashed into Mr. Snuggles and Clinker, both carrying trays of drinks. I smiled then turned back and kept running. I turned a corner and ran down a hallway of slot machines and pushed through the double doors and was out of the casino.

I went down a dark, gloomy alleyway, with no lights and people. This place was where the citizen slaves of Dirt lived, which was the old town, and was now located _behind_ Bill's Casino, which hid us in a way, and blocked the sun from us. Trash littered the streets and graffiti was written on the walls and doors of the apartments and homes. Windows were shattered and broken from the recent visitors who came to gamble at the Casino City, got drunk, and took a wrong turn down our street and destroyed it.

I approached the two story house that once belonged to the Rodent family. The house I also stayed at. I walked up and knocked on the door three times and then once. "Who's there?" asked someone on the other side. I heard a rifle being cocked. "Banshee," I quickly answered. Then the door opened. Elgin, the black bobcat, was on the other side. He nodded as I walked in. He quickly looked outside to see if anyone followed me and then quickly closed the door.

"We haven't seen you in a couple days, Banshee, me and the others thought you got caught by one of Bill's men," Elgin said. I shook my head, taking deep breaths as I told the old bobcat my story, "No, there is… more… security… out there…its now…harder for me…to get…back." Elgin looked at me, "You are out of breath, were ya chased?" he asked. I nodded, "I lost them," I said.

Suddenly Petunia, Mr. and Mrs. Rodent's only daughter, and Stub's little sister, came running from the shadows and to me. "Banshee! Yer ok!" she squealed happily and threw her arms around my legs and hugged me. I smiled and hugged her back.

Just then, Priscilla came out from the shadows as well. She wore tight black pants and a tight black long sleeve shirt under a short sleeve white shirt. A small skull hung down her neck as a necklace. One long braid came out from the back of her head.

Priscilla looked more goth- like then she did when she was younger. She had grown out of her dress and gave it to Petunia, who was wearing it right now. Petunia was five, Priscilla was fifteen, and I was twenty-five. That meant this 'Dark Age' has been going on for five long years.

"Banshee? Where did you come from? The rumors were already starting about yer disappearance," said the teen Priscilla as she came up and hugged me. "I know, and I'm sorry, there is more security out there in the streets, its harder for me to go down Market Street and get more food," I said.

_There was six different streets in the City. The formation of the streets is sort of sorted out like the tic-tac-toe game. The biggest one, which is in the middle, is Main Street, which is the Las Vegas parody, which has two casino chains on either side. In the center of the City was Bill's palace (or center square). The side streets are The "Cathouse" Streets, which are on the right of Main Street, and Market Street, which is on the left. Rebel Street (as I told you before) is behind Bill's Palace, as if he was purposely trying to hide what was once the town of Dirt, which is where the rest of us live. Bill has no idea where we are, but I'm sure he knows we are hiding somewhere from him. _

Elgin, Petunia, Priscilla and I walked into the Rodent family's kitchen, which had no light. The only light came from Elgin's and Priscilla's lanterns. "Did you see my family?" asked Petunia, looking up at me with her huge eyes. She held my hand as we entered the dark kitchen.

"I saw Stub working at one of the poker tables when I was running away from security," I told her. Petunia looked down, "I miss him, and my mommy and daddy," she said. Stub, and Mr. and Mrs. Rodent, were captured and forced to work at the clubs and casinos. The posse and I were in charge of taking care of Petunia.

Elgin and Priscilla removed a rug which hid a trapdoor. Elgin grasped the metal ring and lifted up the trapdoor for us. Wooden stairs descended down into darkness. Petunia squeezed my hand. Priscilla lifted her lantern and lit the way. Petunia and I followed after Priscilla. Elgin closed the trapdoor and threw the rug back on top of the trapdoor. He was lookout for the night.

Priscilla, Petunia and I carefully made our way down the rotting wooden steps. The trapdoor was already installed in the Rodent family's house as their basement, but now, it has expanded and the little basement has become like a prairie dog home, a network of tunnels. Oversized sticks, pencils, and other human objects held up the crumbling dry ceilings of the grading down tunnels. A couple of times, the supports would snap and buckle, thus caving in the tunnels. It takes three months to fix up a tunnel. Thankfully, no tunnels have collapsed on us in the last ten months.

Everyone was all joined in a huge room in the underground network. The posse members, were murmuring amongst each other. "We have to do something before it's-Banshee?!" said Beans as she looked up at me in disbelief. I couldn't help but smile as I came down the steps to the crowd of open mouthed citizens. "Miss Banshee! Yer ok! You have been gone fer a long time! we thought that you got captured by Bill!" said Waffles as he ran up to me and hugged me.

The others from Rango's posse came and hugged me as well. "Market Street has more security guards?" asked Wounded Bird, but obviously he already could tell. I nodded anyway, and the posse stopped hugging me. "More security guards? Why?" asked Ambrose. "Most likely that Bill really wants us captured," answered Spoons angrily and spat the ground. "He's an idiot he is," said Sergeant Turley bitterly. "Were ya able to get more food?" asked Mr. Furgus hopefully. I looked down and shook my head sadly, "No, I couldn't," I said, feeling horrible.

Beans came up to me and patted my back lightly. "Well it ain't yer fault," said the female tan lizard. I looked up at her and smiled a small sad smile.

After the conversations and the news from the Rebels, I went off down a couple of twisting network of tunnels to where my room was located. A couple grains of desert sand crumbled off of the lopsided ceiling and rolled down to the floor. I looked up at the ceiling with caution before walking on. I entered my room.

My room was somewhat smaller then my old room. It had a bed, a nightstand, and a random chair. I fished my sunglasses out of my pocket and placed them on my nightstand. I didn't want to go to sleep, but i was exhausted from being chased. I laid down on my bed and fell fast asleep.

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**I didn't want to give too much information to confuse everyone. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Tell me what you think and I'll continue. :)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Nightmare

The next day, I woke up and rubbed the sleep out of my tired eyes. I couldn't sleep last night. I kept tossing and turning. I had a different dream this time, I found myself flying over the City. It was beautiful from above, but it was still a horrible place to gaze upon. I couldn't remember much of the dream, it was all very fuzzy. I remembered Bill's Hotel and flying over to it... but that was it.

I stretched my wings and kicked the covers from my body. I lazily shuffled out of my cold room, and down the tunnel to the Meeting room. The Meeting room was where we would discuss things about the City, rumors, and have meals at the table.

I came into the Meeting room. Priscilla, Beans, Elgin, Wounded Bird, and Ambrose were already up. "Good Morning Banshee," said Beans and placed a plate of dry bread and cold scrambled eggs in front of me. I said good morning back to her and sat down. I looked at my plate sadly, then picked up the fork and shovelled the cold scrambled eggs into my dry mouth.

Food was scarce in Market Street. I have sometimes bought from the traders in the Market. I was in charge of getting food, but as I said before, I wasn't able to get food yesterday.

"Banshee, I don't want you going outside today," said Beans firmly, interrupting my thoughts. I swallowed my cold eggs. "What?" I asked. Beans took my empty plate away. "I dont want you going outside today," she repeated. My eyes widened. "What! Oh come on, please? I'm sure the security guards don't come out early in the morning, can I just go out till nine and come back?" I asked her. Beans shook her head. "You're a wanted person, it's too risky," she said with her hands on her hips.

"Can I go?" asked Priscilla. Beans turned to her, "Yes, but you can't stay out too long, I don't want you caught either, even though you aren't wanted as much as Banshee," she said. I sunk low in my chair and muttered angrily under my breath.

The conversation was cut short when Wounded Bird lifted up his wing and shushed us. "Ssshhh! Waffles approaches," he said flatly.

As if on cue, the short lizard came running into the room. "Hey! Guys! Guys! I just got word from Gerald the Market trader!" said Waffles excitedly. He tripped, but regained balance and ran up to the table. I straightened up in my seat. Elgin's ears perked up from the top of his hat. "What? What is it?" asked the black bobcat. Waffles just kept jumping up and down excitedly.

"Did a slot machine fall onto Bill's gang again?" asked Priscilla, smiling. Ambrose and I laughed, Elgin snorted. Waffles shook his head, he kept jumping up and down excitedly. "Is there more food in Market Street?" asked Ambrose hopefully. Waffles' smile was widening, but he shook his head again.

We kept guessing. Suddenly, Waffles lost his train of thought when he saw a small pathetic pile of stale waffles on a cracked plate. He reached over and started to gobble them down. We stared at him. "Waffles? Waffles! Tell us what Gerald told you!" yelled Elgin impatiently. Waffles jumped from Elgin's yell and took a cold waffle out of his mouth. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "The Nightmare was spotted last night!" he said excitedly. Everyone at the table exchanged looks.

_The Nightmare was a mysterious flying creature. It comes out mostly at night and destroys everything in Its' path. No one has ever seen it, but rumors say that it came from the depths of Hell. I don't really believe that rumor. My belief is that The Nightmare was just a mutant from The Prairie Dog Territory. _

_The Prairie Dogs' chromosome pool has 'finally dried up' as Beans puts it. They weren't able to make more of themselves amongst each other, and what do they do? They attack the bats. Its very gruesome and disgusting. Now, every so often, we get attacked by these mutant prairie dogs with bat features attacking the City. Bill and his army of Security Men fight against the mutants and it usually ends up in a stalemate. So, most likely, The Nightmare is The Prairie Dog Clan's "secret weapon" or something._

"The Nightmare hasn't been spotted for days," I said. Waffles nodded happily. "Yeah! Yeah! It hasn't! and Gerald says that it destroyed part of Bill's Hotel last night!" said Waffles excitedly. I blinked. _Destroyed part of Bill's Hotel? _My mind instantly went back to the dream I had. _Flying over the City...Bill's Hotel...Nah, _I thought. I shook the ridiculous thought from my head and turned back to Waffles. Beans, Wounded Bird, Elgin and Priscilla just smiled a small smile to Waffles. "Yay," said Ambrose half heartedly. We were sort of excited that The Nightmare had come back, but mostly we had lost our hope into The Nightmare. Nothing has really given us hope into taking down Bill and his security men.

...

After breakfast, Priscilla left. I waited a couple of minutes before heading out as well. I sneaked out of the underground home, putting on my cloak over my grey shirt with the strange red symbol on the front, the same one I wore when I first came into Dirt five years ago. I walked outside, down the street, and toward Market Street. I didn't want to stay in one place for long, it was boring to stay in the cold underground tunnels of our homes. I pulled the hood lower over my face so people wouldn't recognize me from the posters.

The streets weren't so crowded in the mornings. It was only at night when the "real fun" began. I turned the corner and walked down Market Street. Market Street was never really crowded, even at night. Market Street was only there for the citizens, like us, to shop and pretend there was no New Las Vegas next door to us.

Market Street was mostly made up of food stands and tents. A lot of traders lived there, and tried to sell as much food as they could to the starving poor families that lived here. The posse and I would occasionally talk to the traders, and keep up to date on what has happened in the City. We mostly got our news from Gerald. I walked along the food stands. the stands had only a couple scraps of bread, thin slices of fruit, and little jugs of warm water. I sighed sadly at the poor market traders as they sat behind their stands, trying to make a living in poor conditions.

The population for the town/City has doubled over the years. Mostly because people become obsessive over the poker games and slot machines that they waste all their money on. Then the people find themselves in the dirty streets of traders and other homeless people who don't have enough money to get back home.

Fights have also doubled over the years as well. More crimes being committed, and more drunk people getting into fights. Bloodshed and little gangs running around murdering people. Bill doesn't seem to care, and his security men as well. Their job is to only capture the hiding citizens of Dirt, and me, a wanted outlaw.

Trash littered the streets, graffiti is written on every wall and door of the buildings and there was no sheriff to straighten out the fights and stop the crimes. If only Rango were here…

Suddenly, My ears perked up to the sound of a scream. I turned around and looked down the street that connected Market Street and Main Street. A crowd started to form at the scene, blocking my view. I jogged to the scene and pushed my way through the crowd. I gasped. In the middle of the wide circle was Priscilla, fighting with one of Bill's security men.

"You are comin' with me girl!" yelled the security man. "No!" screamed Priscilla, trying to pry the uniformed lizard's fingers from her wrist, but the man's grip was too strong. Suddenly the lizard brandished his club and whacked the teen Priscilla upside the head. She screamed in pain and collapsed. Blood stained her hair and hat.

I felt anger boiling in me. "Stop!" I screamed and broke through the crowd and entered the circle. The security guard turned and swung his club at me. "Get back woman!" he yelled at me. The club made contact with my face. I screamed and collapsed to the ground. Pain shot through my face. My wings trembled as I helped myself up from the ground.

I lightly touched my face. My wing brushed up against the spot where the security man whacked me. I removed my wing from my face and looked down. Blood. My blood. I narrowed my eyes at the security guard. The lizard went back to Priscilla. He grabbed her arm and tried pulling her to her feet. Priscilla struggled in his grasp. The crowd around us just watched, not bothering to help. My wings tightened into fists. A volcano erupted in my body and I screamed at the lizard. The security man lost his grip and was sent flying backwards through the air. Priscilla sat up and groaned.

I suddenly felt everyone's eyes on me. I looked at them confusingly. The crowd of people gawked in horror. That was when I realized something was wrong. I…transformed. I suddenly grew ten times bigger then my normal size. My wingspan stretched out and grew to the right length as my new size. I opened my mouth and roared. My fang jutted out and grew longer. My cloak was stretched out and then ripped from my body.

* * *

_Priscilla gasped in horror and bolted down the street. Everyone ran away screaming from the huge monstrous bat. The monster that was once Banshee, roared angrily and then took flight. "It's the Nightmare!" screamed the lizard who got up from where he landed. He took out a whistle from the pocket of his uniform and blew into it. The whistle sent off a loud high pitch sound. The Nightmare screeched in pain, thus knocking into one of the rooftops of the casinos. She shook her head, and flapped her wings. _

_Suddenly, a whole group of security men came rushing out of the casinos. Chorizo and Stump came out of a casino as well and gawked at the monster in horror. "The Nightmare!" said Chorizo in_ _a loud whisper. Security men brought out some ropes and lassoed The Nightmare. The huge bat screamed as two ropes lassoed around her neck. Two more tightened around her feet and yanked her down toward the ground. Banshee/The Nightmare, flapped her wings harder._

_Chains were thrown over the huge bat's body, thus pulling her down. The Nightmare flapped her wings harder and harder. The Security men yanked and pulled the ropes, keeping the huge bat from flying away. Stump and Chorizo stood frozen in their tracks as they watched the scene. _

* * *

I didn't know what was happening, but I knew one thing: I was scared. I tried flying away but more ropes and chains went over me and pulled me down. Suddenly, I turned and saw one of the security men aim a blow dart at me and fired. A syringe came out of the end and came flying toward me at lightning speed. The syringe dug its needle right into my thick course fur and through my skin near my neck. The strange liquid drained out of its' small tube container. I used my teeth to pull it out, but it was already too late. My vision started to get blurry.

The syringe fell out of my mouth and onto the ground. Everybody's screaming and yelling suddenly was muffled and hard to understand. My wings became heavy like lead and my eyes started to flutter shut. I groaned, trying to keep up in the air, but then finally collapsed on the ground.

The security men rushed to me and finished tying me down. The last thing I saw was Stump and Chorizo rushing to me. They grinned. "This will please the boss…" said Stump, exchanging glances with Chorizo. Then everything went black…


	3. Chapter 3: Crystal and Glass

_...The darkness that surrounded me started to form and shape...back into my dream..._

_The gang pulled out their guns, aimed them at Rango, and pulled the hammers back. Rango pulled his gun out. The bullet holder flipped out, it was empty. Rango's eyes widened and he gulped loudly. Priscilla and I gasped. The gang grinned evilly. _

_All of a sudden, before we could react, Rango's posse: Beans, Waffles, Spoons, Elgin, Mr. Furgus, Buford, Ambrose, Sergeant Turley, Wounded Bird, and Doc, came out of nowhere and fired their rifles and guns at the four drunk outlaws. The air was filled with the sound of guns going off. _

"_No!" I screamed as I watched in horror as the four gunslingers were shot in the stomach by billions of bullets. Their bodies fell backwards. Their guts exploding with chunks of flesh and blood._

_I ran up to the lifeless Kinski. A pool of blood formed around him. I felt tears come to my eyes. A crowd started to gather around me. Concerned and excited murmurs floated around through the crowd. I ignored them._

_Priscilla came up next to me. Her poking stick in her hands. She turned to me._

"_Why are you crying? Are you ok?" she asked me. I wiped my nose with the back of my wing. I turned my head away from her and the lifeless Kinski. My whole body shook as I cried. The crowd parted as Mr. Black stepped in to take the lifeless gunmen away. I still sat there with my head down as Mr. Black hauled Kinski, Chorizo, Stump and Bill away..._

_...The scene shifted and changed..._

_The sky blazed a bright yellow and with a mix of orange as the sun started to set. Tears trickled down my face as I sadly gazed down at the four graves of Kinski, Chorizo, Bill and Stump that were a couple feet away from the town's cemetery._

_The cool winds picked up a bit, rustling my black dress. Mr. Black was with me since no one else wanted to attend the "funeral." Mr. Black's goggles twitched and focused as he turned his head to me._

_He took out a handkerchief from his right pocket and handed it to me. I accepted it and wiped the tears from my face. I looked back down at Kinski's grave. I couldn't stand it. __I sighed sadly as more tears came down. Then I turned and walked away from the graves and back to the lit up town. Mr. Black followed right behind me._

_..._

I groaned and slowly opened my eyes. My throat was sore from "crying" in my dream. It was still the same dream. It drove me insane. _What does it mean?_ I winced. My head was throbbing in pain. I tried to rub my head but I found my bare wings pinned down to my sides. I opened my eyes and realized I was back to my normal size…but wait, it felt like it was all a dream. Me growing ten times bigger and becoming The Nightmare. It couldn't be. I couldn't be The Nightmare…could I?

I decided to not worry about it at the moment. I opened my eyes and looked around at the setting I was in. I was in a huge room. I looked down and noticed why my wings were pinned down. I was tied down to a chair, decorated in silver and gold designs.

I also noticed I was wearing a shimmering sleeveless grey dress. It was adorned with colorful rainbow jewels that gleamed in the sunlight that poured in through a huge window behind me. To the right of me was a wall with portraits of animals in suits or gowns sitting in beautifully carved chairs or standing next to something decorated in jewels or gold. There was also a set of double doors of deep red wood with shiny brass doorknobs. They were closed.

I turned to my left and noticed a huge fireplace. There was no fire, but the fireplace could hold twenty roadrunners in it. The outside of it was made of white marble with veins of gold, webbing the pale surface.

In front of me was a twelve foot long banquet table. Plates piled high with delicious, mouth watering food. Mountains of rolls filled with raisins and sesame seeds, warm lamb chops, bowls of colorful fruit, luscious fresh washed cut vegetables drowning in hot steamy different colored soups. Mashed potatoes, drizzled in thick gravy. Strawberries peeking out of thick creamy white frosting, chocolate cakes, fresh baked hot cookies, cupcakes with cherries on top. I could go on and on, but just thinking about it made my stomach growl.

_So that's where all the food has gone to, and that's why Market Street is cut short on food and everyone is starving, _I thought bitterly. I was very tempted in the warm, freshly baked, chocolate chip cookies. The aroma made my senses dazed and my stomach growled, but two things kept stabbing me in my head:

1. I would regret eating them

2. I was tied to the chair

Suddenly I heard footsteps and low murmurs outside the double wooden doors. I stopped struggling and watched as the double doors slowly swing open. Bill, Stump, and Chorizo entered the room. I gasped. Then I realized where I was: In Bill's Hotel. The three men grinned at me. They each wore a nice clean suit.

Chorizo and Stump wore grey pinstriped suits. They didn't wear their usual get up, or hats. Their hair on their heads were combed back or combed to the sides. Their teeth still looked horrible, but they didn't seem that grotesque. I guessed they started brushing their teeth or something.

Bill wore a nice white suit with a black tie. It looked custom made and he wore a nice white hat to match. Bill flashed me an evil grin.

"That dress yer wearin' cost me a fortune…also ruined it by havin' to take off the sleeves, so yer wings could fit through," said Bill pointing at my dress. He had an amused tone to his voice that I didn't like. Bill sat down. "but it was something that had to be done," he finished his sentence.

Bill sat at the other end of the banquet table, while Stump and Chorizo sat in the middle on opposite ends. Chorizo was to the left of me and Stump was to the right. I narrowed my eyes at them. Bill lifted up his glass of wine in front of him. He was about to take a sip out of it, but then stopped. "Is she still tied up over there?" he asked his henchmen, gesturing with the wine glass in his hand.

Stump and Chorizo exchanged glances and looked at me. Then at Bill. "Er…_si, _boss," said Chorizo. Bill waved his other hand, "go untie her, she's our guest, not our prisoner," he said. Stump and Chorizo exchanged confused glances, but then got up and did what they were told.

I got ready to attack. Bill noticed me tense up and placed his drink down, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, for one thing, my men are armed," Stump and Chorizo showed their new clean revolvers to me as they untied me, to prove Bill's point. "And two," continued Bill, "If you even think of using yer…_scream tactic_, you'll end up as bat confetti, look up and you will see what I mean," he said. I looked up.

A huge chandelier hung above me. It had one hundred dripping white candles, set in gold candle socket holders. Crystal and glass pieces hung down from it. "If you scream, it will cause that chandelier above you to explode and impale you with its shards of sharp glass," he said in an amused tone again. The ropes loosened around my wings, I rubbed them and watched as Stump and Chorizo went back to their original seats.

"How do I know if you are lying?" I asked firmly. Bill smiled, but didn't say anything, but it was like as if he really was saying, _Go ahead, I dare you. _I didn't want to try and find out, I guess I had to believe the bastard was telling the truth.

"I see you were busy in preparing this…occasion," I said bitterly, gesturing to the table and chandelier. Bill grinned, revealing a row of sharp teeth. "Gotta be ready for anythin," he said. Stump and Chorizo snickered in agreement. I narrowed my eyes again.

Bill pointed to the mounds of mouth watering food in front of me. "Eat," he said. I looked down at the food. "It's poisoned," I said flatly. Stump and Chorizo snickered again. "It ain't poisoned," said Stump. "Why would he want to poison ya?" asked Chorizo. I raised an eyebrow at them. _Did they just lose their memory or something?_ I would think that they would know at least after a full five years that Bill has been trying to capture me and kill me because of all the reasons he had.

Bill grinned at me, and pointed at the food, "My men are right, it ain't poisoned." I still didn't trust him, no matter how many times he said the food wasn't poisoned. I'll trust him with the chandelier…but not the food. I looked at the food, my stomach growled very loudly. I pulled at a piece of loose string in my dress. It seemed to comfort me and kind of keep me from thinking about the food.

Something was up. Was this just a way to tease me, and then kill me? Why was he doing this? I thought I was going to be dead the moment I saw Bill walk in. Was he _savouring_ the moment? If he was, it was taking a bit too long, even for his liking. He was the most impatient person I have ever met.

Bill noticed me trying to figure out something. "You are confused, aren't you? Why I haven't decided to kill you, and you find yerself in a nice pleasant place, well, just to make things clear, you ain't in heaven," he joked. Stump and Chorizo chortled.

I snorted. "If it were heaven, you guys wouldn't be here," I said angrily. The three boys threw their heads back and howled with laughter. "That's a good one!" said Stump to me and laughed some more. I rolled my eyes and waited till they were done laughing.

"Why am I here?" I asked finally. Bill sighed happily and then picked up his glass and slowly raised up out of his seat. "I'm glad you finally asked that, Miss Banshee," Bill said. He took his time around the table, to the left, toward me as he told me his side of the story. "Of course you know that I hated yer guts the first moment me and my gang walked into the bar the night you came to town, right?" he asked. I nodded. _Obviously. _

"Well," he continued. "You were also the one who joined my gang, that really ticked me off, but I couldn't show my anger just yet, I had to wait for the right moment to kill you," Bill explains. I sighed and rested my wing on the table to hold up my head. He was going tell the _whole_ story…great.

…

Stump and Chorizo were eating off of the banquet table as Bill continued on with his story. Sometimes listening, but mostly drinking expensive wine and eating luscious luxury food. Mostly the best kind of food they have ever eaten in all their lives they have lived. I still didn't touch the food.

Finally, Bill got to his point. "Today, you became a problem and a solution at the same time," he said. I lifted my head and looked at the ugly Gila Monster confusingly. "What? How is that?" I asked, my ears perked up. Now he had my undivided attention. Bill smirked as he stopped at my chair. "You are the bat I want to kill, but then, my secret weapon as well," he said. His breath reeked of spirits.

"You are The Nightmare, the thing I have been trying to capture for the past three years when it showed its stupid face in my City!" yelled Bill, raising his voice angrily. I sunk low in my seat, averting my eyes away from him. So it wasn't a dream. I really was, The Nightmare. How was that possible?

"So you hate me twice as much?" I asked him, my wings fumbling with the jewels in my grey dress. Stump and Chorizo lifted their heads from the food they were eating and snickered, but then stopped when Bill shot them a look. Bill turned his angry glare back to me.

"Yes, but I look past the stupid demon eyed freak girl and see the solution to all my problems," Bill said, his mouth turning up to a grin. His free hand gripped my jaw. His claws dug into my chin, forced to look at his ugly mug of a face. I tried breaking free from his grasp but it was no use. "You are my secret weapon to stop the stupid, never ending battles against the freakish mutant prairie dog bats…and, put order to all the remaining hiding citizens to the town of Dirt." I gasped and my eyes widened in horror. Bill grinned and released my face.

My face screamed in pain, I felt thin trails of blood trickling down my face. "What if I refuse?" I asked angrily as I wiped the blood from my face with the back of my wing. Bill turned back to me and took a sip out of his glass of red wine. "I have ways into making you agree to my desires," he said.

He turned his head to his henchmen and nodded. Stump and Chorizo quickly got up out of their seats and briskly walked out of the room and through the double doors. I watched as the double doors closed and then turned back to Bill with a puzzled expression on my face.

"There is a rumor for every person in my City, correct?" Bill asked me, setting his glass down on the table. I looked at him in bewilderment. How did he know about the rumors? I bet he had spies or something, but it still baffled me. My feet shifted underneath my shimmering grey dress. "…Maybe," I finally said, not sure where he was going with this.

Bill grunted and nodded. He turned and walked over to the empty fireplace. He fished out a box of matches from his ironed black pants and struck a match. He examined the flare, twisting the lit match in his hands as if it were a beautiful piece of jewellery. "Tell me…what is _Kinski's_ rumor?" he asked me. He threw the lit match into the fireplace. The fireplace quickly blazed to life and in seconds, there was a roaring fire.

I felt my insides twist into thick knots. My wings started to feel sweaty and it all the sudden felt hard to swallow. Kinski. I haven't heard that name since the beginning of the Dark Ages, but that jackrabbit was an unforgettable character. An _insane _unforgettable character...

_He all the sudden disappeared after Bill got his palace and casinos built. No one has seen or even heard of Kinski in the City. It was as if he fell off the face of the Earth, along with Mr. Black and Rango…but he still got his rumors. _

"K-Kinski has a lot of r-rumors," I started in a shaky voice, "but the most popular rumor was that he ran away with a couple of freaks from a freak show… to be with people just like him… and understand him," I finished and looked down sadly into my lap.

I know it was a silly rumor but it seemed like he would do just that. He could be with people who had the same problem as him: being different. Kinski would have someone to relate to…not me. At least he had better stories from the freak show people then my pathetic bits of worthless fuzzy memories. I don't even think he would remember me if we saw each other again. I felt tears come to my eyes.

Suddenly I heard Bill burst out in laughter. I looked up at him confusingly. "Oh! you crack me up, lass!" said Bill, holding his fatty sides to keep from splitting. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if his sides did split. Bill pretended to wipe the tears of laughter from his eyes and then calmed his laughing. "That is one brilliant rumor to laugh about, thanks fer the good laugh," he said. I wanted to kill him.

Then Bill straightened up and grinned at me, "Well, I'm sorry to tell you, Banshee, he ain't with no freak show," continued Bill, his grin turning into a villainous grin. Just when he said that, Stump and Chorizo came through the double doors. They dragged in a figure by the arms. I gasped in horror. It was Kinski.

* * *

**Dun Dun Dun! :) this was a fun chapter to write.**


	4. Chapter 4: Pools of Vomit

My mouth dropped open in shock. "Kinski," I found myself saying outloud. I got up from my seat. Kinski looked horrible. He was thin, like he lost a couple of pounds. His clothes were more ripped and tattered then before. There was more filth and dirt. Vomit stains were visible on the front of his longsleeve shirt. There were darker stains on his arms as well, I guessed it was blood. His head was down so I couldn't see his face, only the top of his head. His fair hair seemed longer then before. It was dirty and tangled.

Bill smirked at the poor jackrabbit. He moved away from the fireplace and then turned to me. "Yes, I think it would be nicer to think that he would be better off with a freak show then 'ere, wouldn't you say?" joked Bill. Chorizo and Stump laughed. Stump grabbed a fistful of the hunchback jackrabbit's hair and lifted his face up.

Kinski's face was as worse as his clothes. The hair on his face was dirty and looked like it grew longer. His mouth and droopy ears were dripping with vomit, and his eyes were bloodshot and sad. Kinski blinked his red tinted eyes. Then he squinted from the sunlight pouring in from the huge window behind me.

"Bllahh, sshlupid, shlunligh…" he slurred. Then he turned to me. He blinked and stared at me for a minute. Then his face lit up. He smiled, revealing a row full of rotting, vomit covered teeth. "Ba…n…shlee…" he said, trying to pronounce and remember my name. Bill, Stump, and Chorizo laughed at the drunk hunchback jackrabbit.

Then Bill turned to me. "So, do we have a deal? You join me and become my secret weapon and he goes free, if not… Well, let's just say it won't be a happy ending for hunchback boy 'ere," said Bill grinning. I glared at the Gila Monster.

It was horrendous to see Kinski like this. It angered me. How could Bill do this to him? He was his friend! On the other hand, Bill was cold and heartless. Bill didn't care if he had one less gang member, he had everything in the palm of his stupid clawed hand! I turned my head back to Kinski. Kinski's eyes were transfixed on the fire in the fireplace.

Anger boiled inside me. My wings gripped the armrests of the chair tightly. My fangs jut out. "So this is how it is? You give me a poor Kinski you have imprisoned, in exchange for me to work for you? And you threaten me that you will kill him if I don't do what you want?! You bastard!" I screamed. The chandelier above quivered and the crystal pieces clicked against each other. Bill grinned, "he wont know that I killed him," he said, "He is nothing to me." Then I lost it.

I roared angrily and transformed into The Nightmare. Bill, Stump, and Chorizo stopped smiling and watched as I transformed. My grey dress ripped and fluttered to the floor in shreds. I grew ten times bigger and loomed over them. Stump and Chorizo dropped the drunk jackrabbit and moved away from me. Their faces white in sheer terror. I spread my wings out and screeched a horrible beast- like roar. Bill, Stump and Chorizo screamed and bolted to the other side of the huge room.

Just then, the chandelier above me screamed in agony in a high pitch shrill and then shattered into a million pieces. I quickly reacted and moved closer to Kinski's collapsed body and used my massive wings to shield Kinski and myself from the flying glass and crystal. The impact of the sharp shards pierced right through my massive wings. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes shut. I stifled a scream.

Kinski rubbed his head groggily and looked up at me with his tired red eyes. He got up and staggered a bit, using me as his support. "Banshhleeee? Wooww… you have… grown…eh?" he slurred and then laughed. I didn't have time to listen to his drunken nonsense. It was time to escape. I suddenly heard gunshots behind me.

Stump and Chorizo were on the other side of the room firing their bullets at me. I quickly grabbed Kinski in my massive wings and placed him on my back. Then I quickly turned around and screamed at the huge window.

My scream broke the window, and the wall that surrounded it. I took off and flew out of the window of the hotel and took to the skies. I kept flying up and up, trying to get away from the bullets. I screeched in pain when a couple bullets pierced through my wings.

* * *

"_Stop firin' you bloats!" snapped Bill angrily as he grabbed his henchmen's guns away and chucked them across the room. The guns skidded across the cold marble floor. "But boss, they're gettin' away!" protested Stump. Bill bared his teeth. "That's the point!" the Gila Monster snapped. Chorizo and Stump exchanged confused glances. "It is?" asked Chorizo. Bill nodded. No one spoke. _

_Then, all three cautiously walked over the broken glass up to where the window once was. They watched as Banshee, also known as The Nightmare, and Kinski, fly away, over the City. Bill grinned at the two creatures who just escaped his clutches until they were out of sight..._

* * *

Kinski had some sense to hold on. He gripped two fistfuls of my dark mane as we soared through the air. We were up very high. The city looked very small where we were. Kinski looked down and instantly felt nauseous. "Oh…gawd, zat's too high…" he slurred and gripped my mane tighter. I could feel all the hairs on the back of my neck being ripped out of their roots when Kinski's grip tightened. Obviously he wasn't used to being up so high. Fortunately, we were going down…unfortunately, we were going down _fast._

My wings were screaming in pain because of all the shards of glass and crystal that bore into my huge leathery wings. Trickles of blood went down my wings, and then the droplets of blood went up because we were falling _very_ fast. Kinski was screaming and laughing at the same time.

"Hold… on!" I screamed to Kinski, but all that came out were strange screech noises. The City came closer and closer. Suddenly Kinski's grip loosened. Before I knew it, he was off my back. "Kinski!" I screamed. I felt my body tense up as I flipped through the air frantically. I cursed angrily and then fanned out my injured wings. The blowing air caught my wings in an updraft and I went straight up after Kinski.

After a couple seconds, I felt the drunk jackrabbit crash right back onto my back. "Owww…!" he drawled and gripped my mane again. He started slurring and yelling about something else, but I couldn't hear him over the loud winds and we were all of the sudden soaring over Market Street.

A lot of gasps and screams escaped the traders and passerbys of Market Street. "The Nightmare!" they screeched and bolted out of the way. I was flying at top speed through the market, I tried using my wings to slow us down but they screamed in pain because of the sharp shards of glass.

I dodged and swerved around the obstacles that appeared as I tried to find a place to land. I veered over and around roadrunners, wagons, boars, food stands, people, and even kids.

All of the sudden my wings gave in. They went limp and folded up around me. "No!" I screeched. Then I turned my head to Kinski to see if he still was on my back. "Fffrlloooot!" screamed Kinski and pointed past my head. I had no idea what the jackrabbit said, until I turned my head back to the front. I screamed and braced myself.

We crashed right into a _fruit_ stand. Fruit exploded all around us. One of the supports that held up the awning splintered and collapsed making the awning go right over us and the cover flutter in front of us. I groaned and got up from the crushed crates and boxes of squished fruit. I was covered in globs of mangos, apples, oranges and grapes.

Kinski groaned and sat up. He fell off of me when we crashed. The vomit smell was almost gone because of the fruit that covered his face and clothes. He looked around where we crashed and started laughing. "We didn't die! Hahaha! Zat's good flyin, yeah?!" he said in his strange accented slur and faltered, but still continued to laugh.

I used my front sharp teeth to pick out all the shards of glass from my wounded wings. The blood on my wings was already dry. I started to lick a section on one of my wings that hurt the most. I licked the blood from my wings without second thought. When I was done I lifted my head and sniffed the air. I smelled something. I looked down. An untouched basket of perfect fruit sat right next to me. My wild bat instincts kicked in and I lowered my head down to eat the fruit out of the basket.

Kinski staggered as he tried getting up again. He slipped in some squished mangos, but he had his arm on the table to support himself as he tried getting up again. I was too busy eating to notice. Juice dribbled down my huge mouth and my nose was covered in globs of mangoes but I didn't care. I was starving.

As I ate, I felt myself growing smaller and smaller. I stopped eating and realized I was turning back to my normal self. I quickly grabbed a blanket that was on the ground to cover up my body. When I was back to my normal size I stood up and squinted out into the afternoon sunlight.A crowd was already forming around the destroyed fruit stand Kinski and I were in.

One wing gripped the two corners of the blanket I was wrapped in, the other grabbed Kinski's arm and we both quickly exited out the other side. Kinski kept throwing up as we briskly walked down the street. Leaving pools of vomit. It reminded me of a snail, leaving a slime trail. I pushed the thought out of my head and kept pulling him. He groaned and staggered along. He tripped a couple of times, and I had to stop and help him up with my free wing.

"Come on, Kinski," I said impatiently. I realized I wasn't talking like a wild bat anymore. _It was only when I was the Nightmare I couldn't speak English,_ I realized. I half led, half dragged Kinski down Market street. We turned a corner and walked down an allyway. Then we turned down Rebel street. As we went down the street, the sun was gone. Bill's huge hotel blocked the sun. My sensitive eyes sighed with relief.

Kinski looked up at the dark trashed street with his bloodshot eyes. We walked past a couple more town buildings. Then we stopped at the Rodent family's house. I helped Kinski up the steps and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" asked a familiar, female voice. "Banshee…and a friend," I said after looking at the drunk Kinski. Kinski looked down at his feet. Breathing heavily. The door opened. It was Priscilla…with a shotgun. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Banshee! You escaped Bill's men!" she cried happily and hugged me. Kinski vomited next to her. Priscilla quickly recoiled and raised her gun at him. "Priscilla, wait!" I said quickly and moved in front of the hunchback jackrabbit.

"What is _he_ doing 'ere?" asked Priscilla angrily. I tightened the blanket around me. "He was Bill's prisoner, he's sick, I need to help him," I explained. "Blahhh…" agreed Kinski, sticking his tongue out. Priscilla still had her shotgun aimed toward him. "He's part of Bill's gang…and he _ain't _no friend," she pointed out.

I shook my head, "No, Bill wanted to kill Kinski if I didn't do what he wanted, please Priscilla, let me bring him in, he wont bring harm, I promise…please," I pleaded. Priscilla looked down. Thinking. Then she looked back up at Kinski. Kinski swayed a bit, then winced and held his head. Priscilla sighed, she lowered her gun and let us in.


	5. Chapter 5: Brains in Jars of Alcohol

When we entered the tunnels, I thanked Priscilla and quickly led Kinski down the tunnels that led to my room. Being cautious to see if any one was around. Thankfully no one was at the minute. I didn't want the rebels to see him… just yet. I knew Beans and the others would want to kill him on the spot, but if I could just explain to them what happened at Bill's place, maybe they would consider changing their minds about him and letting him stay…but it was a one out a billion chance.

When we entered my room, I let go of Kinski and made him sit down on my bed. Kinski ran his fingers over the surface of the bed before jumping on it. When he sat down, he carefully rocked himself back and forth, hugging his knees. It almost seemed he had no control over it, but didn't seem to notice as he giggled softly. Priscilla appeared at the foot of my doorway, she fixed her eyes on Kinski.

"Did he get his brains scrambled, or is he just really drunk?" she asked. Kinski let go of his legs and swayed his head on the bed and laughed. Drool seeped out of his mouth and his tongue stuck out to lap it back up.

"Just really drunk, can you watch him for a minute? I need to change into some clothes," I said and grabbed a couple of clothes from my drawers and went into another room that was connected to my room.

_Kinski watched as Priscilla cautiously sat down at the edge of the bed. He stared at Priscilla and grinned, revealing a row of rotting yellow teeth. "I rememba' yoooouuuu, yer tha' girlll tha' liked tha schlepped sherrifff…ya?" he asked. Priscilla wrinkled her nose. Kinski scooted closer to her and touched the top of her head. "Gawd yooouu hav' gwown…the hell? Yoouu an' Blanshleee on someshlin'? tha' righ Blanshleee? Yer on shumshing?" he asked, turning his head to where_ _Banshee disappeared_.

I nodded, "Yeah, whatever you say, Kinski," I said, pulling a sleeveless shirt, with my symbol on it, over my head. I stared at the symbol for a minute, then shrugged and stretched my wings through the holes.

_Priscilla moved away from the drunk hunchback jackrabbit. Suddenly, bits of ceiling fell and crumpled into smaller bits on the ground. Kinski jolted and turned his head, then shrugged_.

_Priscilla gave the drunk jackrabbit a disgusted look before getting up and sitting down on the chair next to the bed. Kinski didn't seem to notice as he shook his head back and forth, making his droopy ears swing. He laughed at his childish entertainment. Then he stopped and looked down at the ground. He slid off the bed and staggered to the ground. He smirked and picked at the cold hard grey earth with his furry fingers. Priscilla looked at him blankly, then remembered something and turned to the room Banshee was in. _

"What happened to your old clothes? Why were you wearin' that blanket when ya came in?" asked Priscilla from the other room. I slipped on my pants, "Do you remember when I transformed into that monster thing?" I asked her. Priscilla was quiet for a moment, then she answered. "Yeah, what happened?"

I told her I was The Nightmare, and a summary of what happened in Bill's palace. "Oh…" was all she said. I came out of the other room. Priscilla was sitting on a chair in my room, and Kinski was on the floor picking at some dirt. "Thanks…again," I said. Priscilla got up from where she sat, "No problem, but when are you going to reveal him to the others?" she asked me. I pulled Kinski off my bed and started to lead him out of my room. "After I clean him up," I said. Kinski started to protest, "Nooo…" he slurred and moved away from me, but it was pathetic. I rolled my eyes and continued pulling him down the tunnels. Priscilla watched as I pulled him. "Good luck," she said and walked in the opposite direction I was going.

…

_Twenty hours later…_

_Kinski woke up with a splitting headache. He groaned in pain and rolled over in his bed_. Wait what? _He asked himself in his head and lifted his head up from the pillow. _I'm on a bed?_ he asked. Then he sat upright and looked around. Bits of wall came out and crumbled. He flinched, afraid that the whole room may collapse. Then he continued looking around the room. _

"_Where am I?" he asked outloud. Instead of an answer, he got another headache. He groaned louder and rubbed his head. Then he stopped. Something was wrong. Something didn't feel right. He pulled the covers off of him and looked down. Before he could scream, Banshee entered the room. _

"Morning Kinski," I said smiling. I held a tray of food in my wings. I placed it down in front of him and sat down on the chair next to the bed. Kinski blinked. "B-Banshee? Tha' you?" he asked, staring at me in disbelief. I nodded, "Yeah, it's me," I said. Kinski's eyes looked at me from top to bottom and then back up at me. "You've changed," he said. I shrugged, "So have you," I said.

He had changed. He seemed taller, and had more hair on his face. I had cut away as much of the tangled vomit clustered chunks of hair away as I possibly could.

Kinski just stared at me for a minute. "Where the hell are my clothes?" he asked, his voice raised. Kinski wasn't wearing his usual everyday wear. Instead, he wore dark blue jeans, and a light blue buttoned up shirt. His left hand tugged at the collar.

"They're hanging out to dry, they were disgusting, I had to clean you up," I explained.

Kinski stopped tugging at the end of his collar. His eyes widened. "You what?!" he screamed. I shushed him. Kinski glared at me, "Why did you do that?" he asked. My nose wrinkled. "You were covered in vomit, what did you want me to do? Leave you to drown in your own vomit?" I asked him. Kinski growled and raised his voice, "Yes!" yelled Kinski. His eyes twitched uncomfortably and his teeth gritted angrily. His eyes were still bloodshot and his senses were still a bit off. He swayed a bit. Then he groaned angrily and looked up at the ceiling.

"Shush and eat your food," I snapped back at him. Kinski huffed in irritation, then looked down at his food. His anger slowly ceased as he stared down at the food that laid before him in bewilderment. "Whas' this?" he asked in somewhat of a slurred voice, pointing at a bowl of lumpy tan colored slop.

"Oatmeal-" I started, but was interrupted when Kinski instantly attacked the bowl of oatmeal. _Kinski's stomach acted faster then his sluggish brain. He didn't realize how hungry he really was_. He scooped handfuls of the slop faster then he could open his mouth. His drooping ears dripped in the tan slop. "Slow down," I said firmly and pulled out a napkin from my pocket. Kinski stopped eating. He glared at me angrily as I wiped the smears of oatmeal from his face. "Stop it," I said glaring back at him.

Kinski grabbed my wing with the messy napkin firmly, making me stop. Still glaring at me, he wiped his mouth with the back of his clean sleeve. Now I'm going to have to wash his borrowed clothes. Great.

He let go of my wing and continued eating. He gobbled down the bowl of fruit and chugged down the glass of water on the tray as well. He licked his lips happily. When he was done licking the oatmeal bowl, his head crashed down on the tray, as if his brain just exploded or stopped working all together.

He twitched. His eyes darted around the room where his head lay. "Where am I?" he asked. "Under Rebel Street," I said. Kinski's head turned to look at me confusingly, his long blonde bangs covered his face, but I was still able to somewhat see his eyes. "Under?" he asked. I nodded. Kinski grunted, his hidden eyes shifted.

Suddenly, another splitting headache attacked him. His head snapped back up. He groaned and rubbed his head again. "How long was I out?" he asked. "Around fifteen to twenty hours," I said. "You were out cold last night," I added. Kinski groaned again. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. I sighed. Then I got up from the chair and grabbed the tray from his lap.

Kinski rolled his eyes back and quickly placed the oatmeal bowl back on the tray with his free hand. His other hand held his head. He laid back in bed and curled up on his side. I quietly walked down the hallway to the kitchen and placed the tray of bowls into the sink and carefully walked back down the tunnels.

Priscilla appeared and nearly gave me a heart attack. "Priscilla, what are you doing here?" I asked her in a low whisper. The teen Priscilla nodded her head to the room Kinski was in. "He sober in there?" she asked. I lifted my wing and gave it a little shake. _Sort of. His brain was still like as if it was still in a jar of alcohol. _Priscilla looked up at me nervously. "If you are going to try and convince the rebels, now is the time," she said. I shook my head, "not yet, I need more time," I said. With that, I silently walked back to the room Kinski was in.

When I entered, Kinski was still curled up in a ball where I left him. "You ok?" I asked. Kinski curled into a tighter ball. "Whatd'ya think?" he muttered bitterly. His body twitched. I didn't answer. Then I left his room. I walked down to the kitchen and ate my breakfast. I had a piece of stale toast, a glass of milk, and an apple with a soft dark bruise on the side. I ate around the bruise and tossed the core into the trash. I drained my glass and swallowed my toast.

When I was done I headed back to where Kinski's room was. No one was up still, but I knew they would be getting up any time soon, so I had to be very cautious. I gingerly closed Kinski's door and walked back to my room. I sat at the edge of my bed. Fumbling with my wings nervously. Trying to figure out how to break it to everyone.

After around twenty or so minutes, I checked on Kinski again. The hunchback jackrabbit flinched, his nose twitched nervously. "Wha' do ya want?" he asked. I jumped when he spoke. "Just checkin' to see if you are ok," I said. Kinski shifted under the covers and huffed angrily. "I'm havin' multiple migraines, continuous vomiting episodes, and maybe a seizure, do _you_ think _that's_ ok?" he asked angrily. I didn't answer and fumbled with my wings nervously. Awkward silence. I sighed and decided not to disturb him anymore. Right when I was getting up and about to leave, Kinski slowly sat upright and turned to me.

"Wait. You the only person 'ere?" he asked. I shook my head. "The rebels are here too," I said. Kinski raised an eyebrow. "Rebels?" he asked. I nodded, "Rango's posse, Priscilla, and Petunia," I said. Kinski's eyes flickered, as if he was thinking of something.

Finally, he kicked the sheets from his body and got up out of the bed. His left hand still held his head as he used his other hand to hold onto the side of the bed for support as he made his way out the door. He stopped and doubled over. He vomited on the floor. When he was done, he slowly straightened up and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. Then he continued staggering toward the door. I moved in front of him.

"Sit down, no one except me and Priscilla know you are here, you can't be seen," I demanded. Kinski just stuck his tongue out at me. "I don't give a crap, I'm gettin' out of 'ere," he said. Then he pushed me aside with his free hand and stormed out of the room. I quickly got up and pushed my way past him and fanned my wings out to stop him. "Why do you want to get out of here? Where do you plan to go?," I asked. Kinski sneered at me. "Away from 'ere, zat's fer sure, maybe a different town. I don't care, I'll find a place, and ze migranes will eventually go away, now git!" he snapped and used his free hand to shove me out of his way once again. I fell to the ground. Kinski went around me and walked. Running his hand along the walls of the tunnels as he went.

I wasn't ready to reveal that I was taking care of Kinski till he was completely sober, and I was sure the rebels weren't ready to see him either. I grabbed Kinski's arm and tried to pull him back into the room. "Let go!" he snapped. I ignored him and used all my strength. Kinski shifted, pulled and finally staggered away. I quickly got up and chased after him. I only ran ten feet till I crashed into him.

I regained my balance and looked ahead of him to see what made him stop. "Uh oh," I said. Beans, Ambrose, Buford, Sergeant Turley, Mr. Furgus, Doc, Elgin, Spoons, Waffles, and Wounded Bird all blocked the way. They all had a gun pointed at Kinski. Beans shifted her eyes over to me and glared. My eyes widened. I was in huge trouble.


	6. Chapter 6: First Night

**I apologize if these couple of chapters are a little boring. The story will get into action in the next chapter. **

The rebels, Kinski and I, all sat at the huge meeting table in the Meeting Room. After a half an hour of explaining my side of the story, the posse was still quiet. Kinski lightly stroked his sensitive head with his left furry hand, and rubbed his right thigh with his right hand nervously. When he did, he felt something familiar in one of the pockets. He looked around at the quiet rebels and started to pull the familiar object out of his borrowed pants.

Instantly, Elgin stood up from his chair and aimed his gun at him. "Don't you dare pull anythin'!" Elgin snapped. Kinski froze. I quickly stretched my wings out to stop Elgin from shooting. "He's just pulling out his jacks, he doesn't have his gun," I said, then nodded to Kinski, saying it was ok. Kinski relaxed and pulled out his ball and jacks. The game clinked and jumbled around in his hands nervously. Calming him. Elgin growled and slowly sat back down. He placed his gun back into his holster. I relaxed as well and placed my wings back under the table.

Finally, Beans spoke. "You said Bill would have killed him if you didn't do what he wanted?" she asked. I nodded, "I didn't want to be Bill's secret weapon against the Mutants, and I didn't want an abused creature killed," I explained. The posse murmured amongst themselves. There was some concern in their voices. "So, you are The Nightmare?" asked Sergeant Turley after the murmuring. I nodded. "How did that happen?" asked Spoons, cleaning his gun. I shrugged, "I don't know."

"Do you think yer turning more …bat-like?" asked Elgin, after shooting Kinski an angry look. "Or like an inner wild thing?" asked Mr. Furgus. I shook my head, then shrugged. The posse murmured amongst themselves again.

Then Beans stopped the little conversations and spoke, "We need you to stay inside for now on till we have figured out how these…transformations work, but right now, we need to know what to do with…_him_," said Beans angrily as she turned her head to Kinski. Kinski flinched when all eyes turned to him. "I don't remember a thing, all I know is that I ended up 'ere," said Kinski, hoping that'll get him off free.

Then the pressure fell on me. Everyone turned their heads to me. "Why did you bring him 'ere?" asked Beans firmly. I sunk lower in my seat. Waffles started jumping up and down in his seat. "Yeah! Yeah! why didn't you let him go after you escaped?" Waffles asked excitedly, scratching the top of his head. All of the sudden, the room went quiet again. All eyes were on me, even Kinski's eyes, curious on why I didn't leave him in Market Street for someone else to worry.

I felt my stomach turn. My heart was pounding nervously. I took a couple of deep breaths and explained. "I …I couldn't let him go, he was drunk and vulnerable, and he didn't know what was going on… I had to help him. Yes, he's part of Bill's gang, but he is still a person. A person who deserves a second chance. Bill wanted to kill him. If I left him somewhere after we escaped, he would have no where to go, and he would be wasting away in the horrible streets, and possibly killed by either Bill's men, or gangsters…" my voice faltered.

Kinski turned his head to see the rebels' expressions after what I just said. The rebels were quiet again, some looked down at the table, others exchanged glances. _Banshee was a nice girl. She'd help anyone in trouble. _

Finally Wounded Bird spoke, "We need to talk about this privately, you two, leave room, Priscilla will watch Kinski," the black crow said in his somber voice. I nodded and got up. Kinski got up as well and followed me out of the room, along with Priscilla right behind us with her shotgun pointed at the back of Kinski's head.

* * *

Kinski tugged at the end of his collar again. He sat on the ground, while Priscilla loomed over him with her shotgun pointed right at his face. I stood next to the door to the Meeting Room. The door was closed, but we could still hear Beans arguing: _"I don't care what Banshee thinks about that hunchback! He shouldn't be here! He's not staying here-!" _suddenly it went deathly quiet. I wasn't sure whether the rebels knocked her out…or possibly she froze again. I didn't know about Beans' "_defense mechanism_" till last week when she was arguing with one of the rebels. It was interesting. I sighed as I finally slumped down and sat on the cold ground. My back rested against the icy cold tunnel wall.

Kinski turned his head and glared up at the end of the shotgun. He stopped tugging his collar. "Point that someplace else, I'm tired of havin' to see the end of that thin'" he snapped. Priscilla cocked it, "I ain't afraid of you," she said. Kinski flinched and looked away. "Ya should be," he muttered through clenched teeth. He fumbled with his jacks nervously.

Finally, the door opened. Kinski, Priscilla, and I looked up. The posse filed out of the Meeting Room and stood before us. I quickly got up. "We have finally come to an agreement," said Beans slowly, but inside, I knew she was really angry that she lost the argument because of her _defense mechanism_.

Ambrose nodded, "Kinski can stay, but only for five days, starting today, until he gets better, and you, Banshee, are responsible for his actions during those days," he added, pointing at me.

"Also he cannot eat at the dining table, nor go into any of our rooms," said Mr. Furgus. "Only his room," said Wounded Bird. "Yeah! Yeah!" piped up Waffles excitedly.

"And if he doesn't follow any of the rules…" started Spoons. He pulled out his gun, proving his point. "Is that clear?" asked Beans, scowling at Kinski. Kinski shifted uncomfortably. He nodded. I nodded as well, "Yes," I said. Beans nodded, then the rebels dispersed, leaving me and Kinski alone in the empty tunnel.

_Day one starts now…_

Kinski groaned again and held his head with both hands. Doc stopped and turned his head to the deranged hunchback jackrabbit. He hesitated where he stood, then he slowly approached Kinski.

"Ya allrigh' there, son? Do ya want me ta help?" asked Doc, bending down where Kinski sat. Kinski turned his screaming head. Glaring up at the one eared rabbit "Why? You some kind of doctor?" asked Kinski bitterly. Doc nodded. "Yeah, I can-" he started. "No! I don't need you! Yer no help to me!" he snapped and shifted his body to turn away from Doc. Doc narrowed his eyes. "Let me just see-" started Doc, lightly touching the top of the deranged jackrabbit's head.

"No!" screamed Kinski as he swung his left hand around, smacking Doc away from him. Doc recoiled, then looked up at me. "Ya should've left this one where ya found it," he said bitterly. With that, Doc straightened his stained white shirt out and hopped away.

I looked down at Kinski and sighed sadly. "He just wanted to help get rid of the pain, why don't you want help from him?" I asked Kinski. Kinski buried his head in his hands, "None of yer business," he said in a muffled voice. _This was going to be a long five days..._

After a couple of seconds of awkward silence, Kinski looked up from his furry hands and faced me. "Where's my gun?" he asked. "It's in my room," I said. Before I could stop him, he was already down the tunnels. I rolled my eyes and followed after him. Kinski kept running throughout the tunnels, he was careful to slow down or leap out of the way of the rebels, but I know he was just itching to shove them aside. "I'm watching him," I assured them as I passed by the rebels. Spoons narrowed his eyes, "Keep that thing on a leash!" he snapped. I ignored the comments as I made my way down the tunnels at a fast walking pace after Kinski.

After a while, Kinski finally slowed down and panted heavily. Hunched over with his hands on his knees. I tapped the tips of my wings on his shoulder. Kinski's head quickly snapped up to me.

I looked down at him, "I would be happy to show you where my room is, but you can't go in without my permission, got it?" I asked him. Kinski's tongue lolled out of his mouth and dripped saliva. He gave me a dirty look and finally gave me a slight nod. I pointed my wing to the left. My room. I walked into my room. "You may come in," I told him. Kinski straightened up to his original slouching position and walked into my room with a slight swagger.

He looked around at all the little items that were displayed or laying around in my room. He instantly touched everything. He touched my bed, my dresser, and the walls of my room. His long bangs were in his eyes, but he didn't bother to brush them out of his face, he was comfortable hiding his face behind them. "Here you go," I said, picking up his gun and holster from the chair next to my bed and handing it over to him.

Kinski grabbed his items from my wings and grinned. The corners of his mouth twitching. He lifted his revolver up to his left drooping ear. He spun it, and listened. It give off a series of clicks. The right side of his face twitched with amusement. Then he placed the gun back in its holster and strapped the gun belt loosely around his waist, just how he liked it. I sat on my bed, cross legged.

Suddenly, a huge chunk of ceiling fell and crashed right in front of us. We both jolted and quickly ran out of the room. "What the hell?" asked Kinski. I pursed my lips together, "Our underground home isn't one hundred percent sturdy," I explained. Then we decided to go into Kinski's room. When we entered, I sat down on the chair while Kinski sat on his bed. Kinski would occasionally ask me questions but mostly kept quiet. He would look around the room a couple times and ran his fingers over the surface of his bed. His eyes shifting underneath his light colored bangs.

After a minute of awkward silence, I decided to break it and offer a tour around the underground home. He nodded and I showed him around. We would walk a couple of feet, I would point at a room, say what room or who's it was, then we would go on to the next room. The tunnels weren't that complicated. They mostly went onto a weird looking circle with a couple of tails sticking out.

Kinski didn't say anything. He would nod and look into the rooms, _if _the doors were open, which some weren't. We stopped at Priscilla's room. She was in her room, painting her nails black. She turned to us. "What are you doing?" she asked, quickly giving Kinski a dirty look. Kinski didn't see it. "I'm giving him a tour of our home," I said. Priscilla rolled her eyes and waved her hand for us to go on.

Next door to Priscilla's was Petunia's. Petunia wasn't in her room. She was running around and peeking from behind the corners. Watching us. Specifically Kinski. Kinski would see her from the corner of his eye. When he turned around, she would hide. After a while, he just ignored her. All the rebel men who passed by would give rude gestures and dirty looks behind Kinski's back as we walked on. When Beans approached us, she stopped and glared Kinski down. Kinski spat the ground and gave her a dirty look back as we passed by. I just sighed.

When the tour was done, Kinski went straight to his room. I didn't see him till dinnertime. I brought him a plate of stale scraps of week old bread, a glass of water and a half slice of a potato. He scarfed it all down in seconds and was still hungry after. I went back and got him a bowl of somewhat warm soup and more stale bread.

He grabbed the bowl from my wings and chugged the soup down. The liquid dribbled down the front of his once clean shirt. When he was done, he licked the bowl clean. "More," he said. I shook my head, "Sorry, that's your limit," I said. Kinski narrowed his eyes. He muttered something insulting under his breath and moved away from me in disappointment. He kicked the nightstand next to his bed, making it crash to the floor. I left the room without further comment.


	7. Chapter 7: Rescue

**Here's chapter 7. more things happen in here, so i hope you enjoy :)**

I got ready to go into bed, but then heard a noise behind me. I turned around. Petunia stood I front of me. She smiled a small smile. I smiled back and placed my wings on my hips. "Hello Petunia, isn't it past your bedtime?" I asked her. Petunia's smile faded. She looked down at her hands. "I couldn't sleep. I heard sounds from the new person's room," she said. I looked over at Kinski's room, then back to the little girl. "Oh, I'm sorry, Petunia," I said.

Petunia looked up at me. "Who is he?" she asked. I hesitated, "Kinski...he's...an old friend," I said. Petunia blinked, then looked over at Kinski's room. I picked her up and carried her back to her room. Petunia sat on her bed. "I miss my mommy and daddy, and Stub," she said. I blinked. Stub. Ricochet. I almost forgot about them. I remembered seeing them at one of the casinos I ran through while being chased. _Next time you'll help them, _I remember saying in my head. Guilt stabbed me in the stomach. I said goodnight to Petunia and left her room.

_Day two…_

The next morning, I got up and walked down the tunnels to Priscilla's room. She was sleeping soundly. I tip toed in and took her cloak. I was _borrowing it_…without her permission. Then I walked out and back toward my room. I couldn't sleep last night. I kept thinking of all the enslaved citizens of Dirt. I couldn't just sit inside the underground home of the rebels. I wanted to take action and save them. It wasn't going to be simple, but I'm sure I could pull it off without anyone knowing.

It was 6:00 in the morning. I was on a mission, which was very important that I left before anyone woke up. "Banshee," I heard a whisper behind me. I stopped and turned. It was Kinski. He was at the entrance of his room. "Where are ya goin'?" he asked in a low voice.

"I'm going out," I whispered back. Kinski glared at me, "oh, so you can go out but I can't?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. I rolled my eyes. "As if you'll listen to me or the others, you are gonna break the rules anyway," I said.

Gradually, Kinski's mouth curled up into a grin. He unfolded his arms. "Yeah, but you are the one who always follows the rules. Yer breakin' the rules as we speak. You ain't allowed outside, ya?" he asked.

I sighed. "I know, but I don't care…I have something important to do," I said in a low voice. Kinski was still grinning. I glared at him. "Are you going to tell on me?" I asked him. Kinski just continued grinning. I just rolled my eyes and left him. When I turned back, he was gone.

I left the underground home from another secret entrance and exit that was only used for emergencies, and walked along Rebel Street, to Main Street. The street was empty, except for a couple of Bill's men. I crept along the shadows of the colorful, decorative buildings and made my way down the street.

...

I quickly entered the casino I was chased through in the beginning and where I saw Stub and Ricochet. I closed the door quietly and made my way through the somewhat empty casino. Usually, people stayed in the casinos all night and never got any sleep. The room was huge and seemed to curve and twist into different parts of the room.

The floor was deep, blood red, velvet. The walls were of polished marble and lined in gold. Luscious emerald green plants spilled out of huge porcelain plant holders in their secret corners. It was very chilly inside, the air conditioning was always on 24/7. I pulled my "borrowed" cloak closer to my body for warmth. Red satin draperies were hung over the stained glass windows. Earth colored stones lined a smooth pink quartz oval pond filled with exotic fish. The fish swam lazily in the pond.

The games and slot machines were all laid out in a specific theme, and is mostly seen in all the casinos in Bill's City: Card and dice tables were in the middle, the roulettes in the periphery, a wheel-of-fortune near the entrance. The slot machines were in their own station. Rows upon rows of blinking, bonking, loud slot machines. There was more then twenty mesmerized animals still at the machines. Watching the whirring pictures. Thick dark bags hung from their eyes, like Kinski's, from little sleep. Their arms in a routine. So lifeless and zombie like. It was horrible, and Bill doesn't give a crap. I quietly stayed in the darkest parts of the room, hoping no one would see me. I passed by a bar.

It was dark inside, except for the moving neon colorful lights and the strange music playing in the back. Suddenly I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I gasped and turned around. It was a drunk man. He grinned and staggered a bit with a bottle of whisky in his hand. "Ya goinnn' shhlomevere?" he asked. I just smiled a small smile and moved away from him. "Come 'ere ya giirrllly," he slurred and followed me, but I quickly got away from him. I moved along the wall, trying to recognize anyone I knew. Suddenly I heard laughter and cussing. I looked ahead and saw Stump and Chorizo playing at a roulette.

"This roulette is jipped!" snapped Stump angrily at Chorizo. Chorizo just laughed, "You lost _amigo_, Ya just don't have that "lucky rabbit foot,"" teased Chorizo and collected his money. I quickly hid behind a potted plant. I watched them, waiting for them to leave. "Don't matter nothin' to me anyway!" snapped Stump and commanded the person in charge of the roulette to spin it again.

When I was sure they were occupied, I quickly moved away from my hiding spot and toward the other side. Then I spotted Stub and Ricochet. They were at a card table, with their hands behind their backs, waiting for people to come over and throw their money away. I looked around to see if anyone was following me, then turned back and took one of the seats at the table the two boys were at.

"Banshee! What are you-?" started Stub in surprise. I shushed them and told them to keep down. "Pretend I'm someone here to play a game of cards," I whispered to them. They opened and closed their mouths but no sound came out. They were surprised to see me, but they didn't want to attract attention. They took a deep breath, exhaled, and nodded. Stub dealt out some cards and talked in low voices.

"I'm here to rescue you guys from here," I said. Ricochet and Sub exchanged sad glances. "That's real nice of ya Banshee, but… if ya have a saw or something sharp to cut the chains…then yeah, maybe you could save us," explained Ricochet. I looked at them confusingly. Stub looked around and then dropped a card, "_Oops, can ya pick that up fer me, miss_?" Stub asked me, looking down and then back up at me. I got the hint. When I bent down to pick up the card, I saw what the boys were talking about. Their feet were chained to the ground. I gasped, Then I retrieved the card from the carpeted floor and sat back upright.

"That's cruel!" I said angrily. Ricochet nodded and handed me a couple of more cards. Stub shook his head, "No, what's cruel is that Bill told his security guards to shoot us if we stopped working or didn't follow orders," said Stub. Ricochet nodded, "Also, Bill doesn't trust us, so he chained us 'ere so we wouldn't think on escapin'" the corkscrew arm jackrabbit said.

I was outraged and appalled. Bill was beyond evil. Doing this to people and forcing them to work for him without payment or rest or any freedom?! And if they didn't, they were shot down! This had to stop, and that was why I was here, but, this mission was going to be more trickier then I thought. I could maybe scream at the chains and maybe my phenomenon power could brake them, but it was too risky. Stump and Chorizo may hear it and recognize the sound, also, it could also be risking Stub and Ricochet's feet. Shattering their bones and destroying a lot of flesh and tissue. The thought made me nauseous.

I "accidentally" knocked my hand of cards on the ground and went back down to pick them up. I looked back down at the chains. A thick metal cuff was wrapped around their ankles. Then I noticed a strange looking keyhole on the sides. I sat back upright and tossed a couple cards back to them.

"Who has the key to your shackles?" I asked them. Stub and Ricochet shifted their eyes to their right and back to me repeatedly. I turned to where they looked. I saw Stump and Chorizo still playing at the roulette. Laughing and drinking. My stomach twisted into thick knots.

"They have the keys to the locks," said Stub. I gapped. This mission now seemed completely hopeless and impossible. "How am I going to get the keys from them?" I asked the two chained up boys. Before they could answer, their eyes widened and their shoulders went up. "Don't look back," said Ricochet through his clenched teeth. I froze in my spot. Then I smelled the fowl smell of alcohol and evil. Stump and Chorizo were right behind me.

"Well, if it ain't Skrewhead and Stubby," teased Stump. Chorizo laughed. "Don't mind we play some poker?" he asked. The boys didn't speak. The two henchmen didn't wait for the boys to answer them as they sat down on either side of me. I turned my head to both of them. Their key cards hung at their belts. Stump nudged me with his elbow, "Hey there, _amigo, _do ya mind if we play ya?" he asked. I just sat there, hoping the hood over my head wouldn't be ripped off or a sudden gust of wind would come in and reveal my face to the two henchmen.

"We'll go easy on ya," added Chorizo, joking. Stump laughed. I looked up at Stub and Ricochet for help. The two young boys just dealed out the cards to all three of us and kept quiet. I looked down at my cards. I didn't know what to do. Then I saw Chorizo pull out a couple of chips from his last games. Stump pulled out a couple of fat wallets filled with cash, gold watches and a couple of fresh cigars I was certain he swiped from a couple of people. Then I knew how I was going to get the keys from the henchmen. "Do ya have anythin?" asked Chorizo to me, his small mustard colored eyes eyeing me suspiciously.

I quickly fumbled with my pockets and then pulled out a couple of crinkled up wads of dollars, a dime, three pennies, lint, and a couple of rocks. The stumpy jackrabbit and stout shrew looked at my pathetic little pile. "Um…ok then, I'll accept that," said Chorizo. Stump didn't really like it, but didn't question it any further. I felt my stomach twist and turn. My hidden wings started to feel sweaty.

I had to wait for the right moment. A distraction. I needed a distraction. Then I turned my head and saw it. Mr. Snuggles was coming toward us. He carried a tray of tall glass drinks filled to the top with beer, water and other mixed sorts of beverages. Perfect.

I nudged my leg out from under the table and waited for the right moment. I turned my head back and hunched over my cards and listened for Mr. Snuggles. Then my leg stuck out and Mr. Snuggles tripped and fell. The liquids spilled out from their containers and soaked all three of us. Chorizo was soaked the most. He screamed with rage and got up. Knocking over his chair in the process.

"Ya stupid walkin' pincushion!" he snapped, but then he started to speak in Spanish at a fast pace. I quickly took my chances and unhooked Stump's keys from his belt as he watched Chorizo curse in Spanish. I started to get up and leave the scene, but then I felt a hand grip my shoulder. I yelped and turned back around. "Where do ya think yer goin?" Stump asked suspiciously. I tensed up.

_Stump saw me take his keys! I'm dead, _I thought to myself. I started to panic. Then Stump finished his sentence, "We ain't done playin' our game. Cho! Shut it with the porcupine and let me win this game!" snapped Stump. I slowly sat back down in my seat. Chorizo's eyes flashed red as Mr. Snuggles picked up the tray of glasses and walked away, embarrassed.

Then we went back to playing our little card game. Stub gave me a sign. Then he dropped a couple of cards. "Oops," he said. Stump looked up from his cards and glared at the young rodent. "You idiot!" snapped Stump. "_el stupido_," agreed Chorizo. "Sorry," said Stub, then went under the table. I ducked under as well. Stub looked at me and then handed me a couple of cards. "Here, these cards will make you win," he said. I thanked him. Then I gave him the keys. "Free the other prisoners here," I said. Then we went back up.

I waited a couple seconds before I placed the cards Stub gave me down on the table. Stump and Chorizo dropped their cards in shock. "No fair!" snapped Stump angrily and threw his hat down on the ground. Chorizo sighed and said something in Spanish.

"Who do ya think you are ya cheatin' bastard!" snapped Stump angrily and attacked me. We both knocked the table, sending cards, chips and cash flying. My hood was ripped off my head and my ears stuck straight up. "Banshee?!" screamed Stump and Chorizo in shock and confusion.

I quickly flapped my wings and escaped before they could grab me. "Get that bat!" I heard the henchmen scream. Then the whole casino became a game of Catch the Flying Bat. I flew around and under hanging lights and chandeliers as I made my way out of the casino. Everyone in the casino went up in a wild rampage and ruckus as they tried to lasso me or shoot me down.

One person tried to lunge himself at me, but ended up crashing into a slot machine. That one slot machine created the domino effect, knocking over the rows of slot machines and cracking them open. Money poured out of them. Everyone forgot all about me and attacked the silver coins. Stump and Chorizo were still chasing after me.

I screeched at the ground. Sending a couple of tables, chairs, and plants to crash and pile up on each other. Stump and Chorizo stopped and then started to climb the mountain of debris. Chorizo couldn't seem to grasp the right areas of the mountain and a couple of chairs fell on top of him, knocking him unconscious. Stump made it over and kept chasing after me.

Thankfully the chase was cut short. Stump wasn't watching where he was going and he fell into the fish pond. A huge splash erupted out of the little pond. I laughed at the jackrabbit and flapped my wings. Stump came up and spat a fish out of his mouth. He cursed as he watched me fly away. His suit was soaking wet.

I kept flying till I was close toward the exit. Then I slowed down and landed at the front of the exit. "Banshee! Wait!" I heard a voice behind me. I stopped and spun around. Ricochet and Stub came running up to me. "Where are you going?" Stub asked. I pointed down Rebel Street.

"Back to Rebel Street, but I'll be back, meet me in five minutes at the Blue Night Club with all the slaved citizens here," I commanded. They both nodded. Then we quickly dispersed when we heard the sound of security guard footsteps coming our way.

* * *

_An hour after Banshee left to save Ricochet and Stub…_

_Kinski woke up again from another nightmare. He groaned and sat up, cursing under his breath. Kinski rubbed his tired eyes. He kicked the sheets from him and rolled off his bed. His stomach growled. Kinski winced and clutched it tightly. He was hungry._

_His stomach growled again as he walked out of his room and over to Banshee's room. Her bed was empty. Kinski slapped a hand over his face, "Oh that's right, she left this morning, dammit," he said angrily to himself. He walked down the tunnels, trying to remember where they led to._

_He ended up in another tunnel where Priscilla's room was. Priscilla was in her bed. She slowly opened her eyes when she heard something. She gasped when she saw the hunchback jackrabbit at the door of her room. "What do you want?" Priscilla asked in a whisper, she pulled her covers closer to her and pressed her back against the head board of the bed. "I'm hungry, where's the food?" asked Kinski impatiently._

_Priscilla narrowed her eyes at him. "Banshee feeds you, go wake her up if you're hungry," she snapped. Kinski shook his head. "She ain't in her room," he said. Priscilla looked at him confusingly. "Not in her room? Then where is she?" the teen asked. Kinski threw his hands up in an angry violent gesture. "I dunno! how should I know? She just left," snapped Kinski, "Now tell me where the food is," he added, lowering his hands down._

_Priscilla didn't want to upset the hunchback jackrabbit anymore. She knew that he had very sensitive feelings and would kill anyone in an instant. So, without further thoughts, she got out of her bed and led Kinski down a long tunnel way to where the food was. They entered a small room that was the kitchen. It had a small stove and two hand made cupboards against the wall. In the middle was a small round table and two chairs._

_"The food is there," she said, pointing to the hand made cupboards. Kinski looked at the cupboards blankly. "I want oatmeal," he said, turning to Priscilla. Priscilla crossed her arms over her chest, "then make it yerself, I'm goin' to bed," she said and started moving out of the room. Suddenly Kinski moved in front of her with his arms out. Blocking her way. "Make it for me," he said angrily._

_Priscilla gasped and slowly moved back to the cupboards. Kinski sat down at the small table. Priscilla got out a bowl and poured the dried oatmeal into it. Then she prepared it and then placed the hot bowl of oatmeal in front of the hunchback jackrabbit. "Where's a spoon?" he asked, looking up at her._

_She sighed and quietly got out a spoon from one of the drawers and handed it to him. He grabbed the spoon from her. Then he set the spoon down and lifted the bowl with both hands and just chugged the oatmeal down. Priscilla didn't comment. After a couple of seconds, Kinski felt Priscilla watching him eat. He slowly lowered the bowl from his face. He had an oatmeal beard, dripping down his night shirt. "Do ya mind?" he asked angrily. Priscilla started to walk away._

_"No, sit down," he said, pointing to the other chair that sat across from the table. Priscilla took a deep breath._

You are not afraid of him_, she told herself in her head. Then she turned back and sat down across from Kinski. Priscilla bit her tongue as she watched the deranged antelope jackrabbit gobble down his oatmeal in big gulps. The slop poured down his mouth and face. _How could Banshee stand him? He's disgusting and rude, if I were her, I would've just left him_, said Priscilla in her head. Her face with the look of disgust. _

_Kinski licked the bowl clean within seconds and then slid the empty bowl toward her, "More," he demanded. Priscilla resisted the urge to throw up right then and there. She quietly got up and made him another bowl. Kinski busied himself by licking around where his oatmeal beard was and his oatmeal tipped ears. When she came back she didn't ask if she could leave, she just sat back down. Her tail swished from underneath her chair. Kinski attacked the oatmeal again._

_Kinski noticed Priscilla's face of disgust. "What're you lookin' at?" he snapped. Priscilla just looked down at the table. "Speak!" snapped Kinski, raising his voice. "You don't have to yell," snapped Priscilla back in a loud whisper. Then Priscilla regretted saying that. Kinski glared at her. In one swift movement, he placed his bowl down on the table and quickly rose up from his chair. Priscilla gasped and fidgeted in her seat uncomfortably._

_"You can't tell me what I can or can't do!" yelled Kinski. Priscilla averted her eyes from him and cowered in fear. Kinski growled and threw the table aside. It crashed against the wall to Kinski's left and splintered into a million pieces. Priscilla screamed and bolted out of her chair._

_Kinski grabbed the shirt of her collar and pulled her back to him. "Where do ya think yer goin? I ain't done wit ya!" he yelled and pulled her up to his eye level by the front of her shirt. Priscilla screamed in full terror. She struggled in his grasp, kicking her legs. Her nose inches from his. Kinski growled and revealed a mouth full of rotting sharp teeth. His eyes blood shot and wild with rage. Suddenly Kinski heard his name shouted at him._

I quickly entered the room before the posse showed up. "Kinski! Put her down!" I commanded. Kinski snarled at me. Then the posse came. "Oh no!" yelled Ambrose. "He has Priscilla!" yelled Buford. "He has Priscilla! He has Priscilla!" repeated Waffles in fear. "Not fer long!" snapped Beans angrily and cocked her gun. "Stop! No! It's ok, its ok, he just needs to be calmed down! Let me talk to him," I said to the posse.

Then I turned back to Kinski and placed my wings up in front of my chest. Raising and lowering them in a calming state. "Kinski…its ok, no one's going to hurt you…put Priscilla down, please," I said. Kinski stopped growling at the posse like a wild animal and looked down at me. Drool seeped out of his mouth.

The posse watched from the entrance of the small kitchen. It was deathly quiet, except for the sounds of Priscilla's heavy breathing, and Kinski's low growls. I slowly approached the two. Kinski stared down at me. He got uncomfortable and took a step back. "Its ok, I wont hurt you," I said. Kinski jerked his head to move his long bangs from his face. His wild eyes blinked and seemed to soften. He slowly started to calm down.

Suddenly I heard a gun being cocked behind me. _Click! _I gasped. It was too late, Kinski's bangs fell back in his face and he roared angrily at me. He slapped his hand across my face. I fell to the floor, droplets of my blood dotted the storm colored ground and my pale tan colored wings. My face screamed in pain. The posse gasped. Then they raised their guns, to the wild Kinski.

Anger coursed through me, and before I knew it, I transformed. My clothes ripped from me and I had to duck since the tunnels and rooms were small, and I was ten times bigger. Bits of dirt fell to the floor when my back scraped up against the ceiling. Everyone held their fire and jolted at the sight of my new transformation. Kinski's eyes widened in fear and took a step back from me.

I snarled and glared down at Kinski. Kinski eyes were wide in horror. He instantly dropped Priscilla, then Kinski himself crumpled to the floor in fear.

I watched as Priscilla moved away from Kinski and ran around me to the posse. Guilt stabbed me in the stomach. _I should've been there_. _I couldn't leave Kinski alone here. He'll hurt someone if I'm not there to watch him._

I turned back to Kinski who was sitting on the floor, hugging his knees. I could hear him whimpering in total terror. I could hear his heart and everyone else's hearts beating loudly. "Don't shoot, that's still Banshee," I heard Buford whisper to Beans, Elgin and Doc. Their guns were cocked and aimed right at me.

I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to calm down. As I did, I felt something wrap around me. Then I opened them and found myself back to my normal size. I turned, noticing that Priscilla placed a blanket over me. I smiled and nodded a silent thanks. Kinski gapped at me in shock and fear. I turned back to the posse. They all gawked at me in shock and fear as well.

When I came back from my room, dressed, Wounded Bird led me to The Meeting Room where everyone waited for me. It took a while to finally persuade the rebels to still allow Kinski to stay with us after the incident. "I promise to be with him at all times," I said. The posse finally agreed, knowing that Kinski would listen to me now since I am The Nightmare and can keep him in line.

After the meeting, I quickly left the room and found Kinski waiting outside the room, his hands and feet tied. He shifted away from me. I ignored it. I knelt down and untied the ropes from his wrists and ankles. Kinski got up and rubbed his wrists. He looked at me confusingly. "Did the "rebels" banish me?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No, almost, but now I have to babysit you every single minute of everyday," I said to him. Kinski groaned and rolled his eyes. Then he looked down at me again. "How did you turn into that…_monster_?" he asked. I shrugged. "I don't know, but all we know is that I am, The Nightmare," I said. Kinski cocked his head, "The Nightmare?" he asked. I told him the rumor about the Nightmare. Kinski nodded. I could see his eyes, still filled with fear, shifting on the ground, thinking about something.

"Where are we goin?" asked Kinski. I shushed him as we ascended up the stairs and out of the house. "To a night club," I said in a low voice. We walked down Rebel Street and onto Main Street. I still wore my disguise. Kinski looked at me with a perplexed look on his face.


	8. Chapter 8: The Blue Night Club

We walked down the street toward the casino. Kinski followed right behind. His eyes shifted behind his bangs at the people as they pass by him. I kept my hood low over my face. Occasionally, I would see some people giving me suspicious looks, then go on their way. I turned my head to see if Kinski was still following me. My heart skipped a beat when he wasn't behind me.

"Kinski?" I called scanning the road. Kinski straightned up from the ground and came walking up to me. "What happened?" I asked. Kinski silently uncurled his hand and showed me what he found. A small box of matches. I looked up at him and gave him a quizzical look. "A box of matches?" I asked. Kinski nodded. He pocketed his possession. I shook my head and continued walking. Kinski followed right behind me.

We entered the Blue Night Club. Inside was dark and huge. Stairs curved down the opposite sides of us down to the lower level where at the assorted tables and chairs sat dozens of men cheering and whistling at the huge stage with a long row of half naked girls, dancing and giving the drunk men a show.

The walls, the carpets, and the stage were all blue and had twinkling silver star designs on them. The girls were dressed in tight dark blue leotards and wore these outrageous hats with huge light blue ostrich plumes sticking out from the top. Fireworks, fire, water, confetti, and all sorts of crazy works exploded out of the scenes and out of tubes at the front and behind the girls, making the show more magical and wild. Kinski gawked at the scene. I rolled my eyes and pulled him away from the scene and searched for Stub and Ricochet. Kinski still had his eyes glued to the stage. He almost tripped down the stairs.

The music blared loudly from the sound system underneath the stage as we descended down the stairs to the left and stayed among the shadows of the walls. "Why are we here?" asked Kinski, finally looking away from the showgirls and to me. "We are looking for Stub and Ricochet," I said and pulled him along the walls and then up the steps that went up to the back of the stage.

"Ya mean that that corkscrew armed boy and that snub-nosed rodent?!" he asked me over the loud music. "Yes!" I said. My ears were down and were screaming in pain. Kinski clamped one hand over one of his ears in annoyance. Suddenly a drunk, burly male rodent got in front of me. He grinned and staggered a bit, blocking our way. In one hand, he held a half filled glass of alcohol, which he kept spilling all over the floor. Kinski swallowed and stared down at the hard liquor.

"Hey girlie, come 'ere," said the drunk rodent. I tried going around him but instead, he wrapped his free arm around me, pulling me up to his height. I yelped and let go of Kinski's wrist as I was pulled up. Kinski snapped out of his thoughts from the drink and looked up at me. Then the huge drunk animal planted a big wet kiss right onto my mouth. My eyes widened and I struggled in his grasp but his grip was too strong. I felt my ribcage being crushed.

Kinski didn't know what to do. _He_ was usually the one who was the drunk, not the person trying to stop the drunk. Kinski spotted a fire extinguisher in the wall. He quickly grabbed it and swung it around, bashing the huge rodent's head with it.

The strong male roared and let go of me. I collapsed to the ground. The rodent turned his head around to Kinski. He rubbed his head and staggered there for a minute. Kinski raised the fire extinguisher again, but I quickly regained my senses and pulled him away from the burly rodent. The rodent lost his balance and collapsed.

If I didn't move Kinski out of the way in time, he would've been flat as a pancake. The brawny animal was knocked out cold. No one seemed to have noticed since they were mesmerized to the showgirls and the music was too loud to hear the big guy fall. We finished walking along the end of the wall and went up the four steps up to the side of the stage.

I ran the back of my wing across my mouth and spat a couple of times, trying to get the nasty taste of alcohol out of my mouth. Kinski couldn't help but laugh. "Shut up," I said. Kinski ignored me as he watched the sides of the showgirls. I gripped Kinski's wrist and kept pulling him forward through back stage. Ropes and lights hung from the rafters. Racks and racks of outrageously fancy costumes were lined up against the wall at the back.

"Hey! You two aren't allowed back 'ere!" yelled a voice from behind us. We spun around and found us face to face with an angry stout squirrel. His potbelly stuck out in front of him, a couple of buttons from his black collared shirt were missing, and you could practically hear his suspenders screaming in pain as they tried to keep his pants up.

"Er…w-we were just trying to-" I started. "Shut it girl! You two ain't allowed 'ere! Now git before I call Security!" he yelled at us again. Kinski sneered as he slowly pulled out his gun. The stout squirrel gasped in shock at Kinski's gun. I narrowed my eyes confusingly at him. _Why was he so shocked about the gun? Unless he has never has been threatened by someone with a gun before._

The fat manager gapped, opening and closing his mouth like a fish with wide eyes as he stared at Kinski's gun. "I-im so sorry, y-you two can do w-whatever you w-want b-back h-here," he said and quickly left us. I turned my head to Kinski. Kinski just smirked and shrugged. I tried looking down and seeing what made Kinski's gun so special, but Kinski placed his gun back in its holster before I could even glance at it. I just shrugged. I guess I would've done the same thing if I were in the stout squirrel's shoes. We kept walking around backstage.

Suddenly, I heard Kinski yelp beside me. "What's wr-" I asked, but was interrupted by the sound of fabric being torn apart. Half of Kinski's borrowed shirt was torn away from being snagged on one of the props in the prop box. The prop that snagged on his shirt was a sharp weapon of sorts.

His hump stuck out, and chunks of fur as well. Kinski froze where he was. His eyes wide with fear and his fingers laced into each other nervously. I unhooked his shirt from the strange weapon "Come on," I said, but he still wouldn't budge. I sighed and decided to keep looking behind stage. Kinski finally got out of his state of shock and used his left hand to bring the loose material back up to cover the spots his fur was showing.

"Are you ok?" I asked. Kinski turned to me, then he looked down where I was pointing. "I'm fine!" he snapped and turned the tattered side away from me. I lowered my wing. I decided to let him be. After a while of searching, we went all the way around to the other side and walked down the steps. We gasped and froze in our tracks. Five security guards blocked our way. They turned and spotted us. They instantly recognized me and charged up the steps. Kinski and I bolted back the way we came.

As we ran back, dodging props and ropes, I noticed Kinski pull out something from his pants. I turned my head. He pulled out the box of matches he found on the dirt road. He pulled out a match and ran the end along the wall. It blazed to life. His mouth curled up into a mischievous grin as he stared at the fire. He slowed down a bit so the fire wouldn't get blown out. His eyes scanned the area, looking for something to light. His eyes landed on a couple barrels of explosive powder, possibly used for the special effects for the shows. One of the barrels was open.

He glanced over at the guards, who were closing in fast. "Kinski-" I said, but it was too late. Kinski dropped the flaming match. Kinski quickened his pace, I ran after him. The guards couldn't slow down in time as the match made contact with the explosive powder. _Ka-boom! _I screamed and fell to the floor. My wings went over my head. After a couple seconds, I looked up and noticed Kinski's feet. I got up.

Kinski didn't notice as I got up. His eyes were still focused on the fire. The security men screamed in agony as they tried snuffing the fire out on their clothes. My eyes widened in horror. Kinski's eyes were wide with awe and insanity. I took a step away from him. The pleased look on his face made me feel uneasy. He didn't notice me move away from him as he watched the flames rise higher and higher.

Suddenly, a fire alarm went off. Kinski snapped out of his reverie. We both turned and ran down the stairs from the stage. Everyone started panicking and running toward the exits. Kinski and I moved away and stood in a corner near a couple of potted plants. We watched in the shadows as everyone evacuated out of the place. The flames started to show through the curtains. I felt sick to the stomach. The look on Kinski's face as he stared at the fire…

"Banshee, over 'ere," said a voice. I looked around. Then I spotted Stub and Ricochet, and a couple of other citizens. They hid in a dark corner on the other side. Kinski and I looked around before we went over to where the Dirtonians were hiding. There was Stub, Ricochet, Crevice, Crispin, Hazel Moats, Lenny, and two other guys I never was introduced to.

"We weren't able to save _everyone_," said Stub sadly, "but we did our best," added Ricochet. I nodded. The men of Dirt glared at Kinski. "Please tell me he's yer slave, " said Hazel Moats. "Or maybe yer hostage," added Crispin. Kinski sneered and spat the ground, fingering his revolver. "He's on our side," I said quickly before the blood battle began. The freed citizens didn't seem to believe me and stayed away from the hunchback jackrabbit. We quickly filed out of the casino, just as security guards were coming in. We briskly walked along the side of the road.

I turned my head. The casino was engulfed in flames, smoke rose out of the rooftop. Dozens of security guards ran out of the other casinos and helped by trying to snuff out the fire. Everyone on the road gawked and stared at the flames. The good thing about it, was that it distracted everyone as we made our way to the rebel hideout.

"So, where are we going?" asked Lenny. I pointed straight ahead. "We're going to lead you to the rebel hideout, its down the street, behind Bill's hotel," I said. The men nodded and let me lead the way. At the corner of my eye, I saw them all give Kinski dirty or scared looks.

Kinski shoved them aside and walked ahead of them and strutted along next to me. "Why should we even bother with those b-" he started to mutter, but saw me glaring at him. He clenched his rotten teeth tightly and averted his eyes away from me. He touched the area where his shirt got snagged. The sun was high in the sky, which meant it was around noon time already. I shielded my eyes from the suns' harsh glare. We all single filed through the fence to Rebel street, and toward the hideout.

* * *

Petunia screamed with joy as she ran up to her sixteen year old brother and gave him a hug. The posse couldn't believe it as they rejoiced with the freed citizens in the underground rebel home. Kinski went back into his room, uninterested.

The rebels prepared plates of cold dry food for the famished creatures and listened to the horrible tales the creatures had to tell. Stub and Ricochet shovelled their food into their mouths hungrily. Food dribbled down their rough hairy chins as they gobbled all the food down.

"So, how was it? In the casinos?" asked Buford, leaning in. Crevice, one of the members of the small freed citizens gulped down a glass of cactus juice and cleared his throat. "Think of the worst possible situation to be in, and multiply it by a million," he said in a grave voice. Waffles' eyes widened. "That's horrible!" he said. The freed citizens exchanged sad glances, thinking of the horrible moments when they were chained up in the casinos. "Well, at least its all over," said Crispin. The citizens nodded and sighed with relief.

The day changed to night. Since there was no more extra rooms, a couple of the rebels had to give up their bed to one of the citizens. Since there was only men in the group, Beans, Priscilla, Petunia and I didn't have to worry. Stub and Ricochet shared a bed in the last guest room we had. Ricochet slept on the floor with a blanket and a pillow, while Stub slept the first night on the bed. I was about to go to bed, but then instantly remembered something. I carefully tiptoed out of my room and to the bathroom. In the middle of the network tunnel system. I rummaged through the pile of clothes on the shelves.

The clothes were from Market Street. Extras, just in case if any of the slaved citizens escaped, they would have better clothes to wear instead of those awful dealer clothes. I grabbed a shirt that was light blue with thin dark criss- cross lines. Sort of like a plaid look. Satisfied, I tiptoed silently back down the tunnel.

I lightly knocked on Kinski's door. I heard Kinski shift on his bed. "Go away," he snapped. "Kinski, it's me," I said. I heard Kinski curse and then shuffle to the door. He opened it and looked down at me. "I thought you were someone else," he muttered. I lifted the light blue plaid shirt up to him. "Here," I said. Kinski didn't take it.

"What for?" he asked. I pointed to his tattered shirt. "Give me that shirt, and you can wear this shirt instead," I explained. Kinski raised an eyebrow. "Why you bein' nice to me?" he asked. I looked down at my shoes. "It's what friends do," I said, feeling a little embarrassed. Kinski looked at the shirt in my wing a little longer before accepting it. He closed his door and changed. A few minutes later, he opened the door and handed me the tattered one. His left finger tugged at the new collar of his shirt. "I hate these shirts" he muttered angrily as he closed the door.


	9. Chapter 9: Hanging Out to Dry

**Here's chapter 9! :) I hope you guys are enjoying the story. I know some things are confusing and I apologize. This chapter is a little boring. (in my perspective because I had to read it a dozen times to make sure it sounded right). Its mostly with Kinski and Banshee talking and getting to know each other a little more. It picks up later on. Enjoy!** **:)**

* * *

_Dream..._

_-Mr. Black stayed with me till the sun was almost gone, leaving the sky a dark purplish blue. I sighed sadly as more tears came down. Then I turned and walked away from the graves and back to the lit up town. Mr. Black followed right behind me._

_When we entered the town, Mr. Black silently waved goodbye to me and went back to his workshop. I walked down to the Rodent family house and up to my room. I walked over to my window and looked out to the cemetery. My head dropped in sorrow. _

_Suddenly my drooping ears perked up. I lifted up my head I heard a noise…a strange, eerie sort of noise…coming from outside. _

_The moon gave off a pale white, milky glow to the town. Illuminating the dirt road in the middle of the town. The sound was soft and faint, but my ears could pick it up. I jumped onto the open window, I opened my wings and took off into the night. The soft reverberation led me down the street… towards Mr. Black's workshop. I landed and looked around. No one was in sight. It was deathly silent…except for that noise. I knocked softly on the door. "Mr. Black?" I called. No answer. _

_I opened the door and entered into his little area. Stacks and stacks of wooden boards piled up to the ceiling, boxes of nails, screws bolts and other metal tools were scattered everywhere, but mostly in their categorized section. A droopy shredded banner hung over the shop reading: Mr. Black, the Undertaker, coffin maker, and funeral organizer. A rack held a couple of saws and hammers. The sound was a bit louder, but the source of the electric hums and static was nowhere to be seen-_

The dream faded away and I sat upright in my bed. I blinked in the darkness. My heart was beating fast. I kicked the thin scratchy sheets from myself and walked out of my room to Kinski's room. I peeked inside. He was in a curled up position, fast asleep.

I blinked and looked down at the ground. _It doesn't make any sense…he's alive…but why is he dead in my dreams? And why is Mr. Black in my dream as well? _I pondered over it for a while. I looked over at Kinski one last time before going back to my room. I sat on my bed and pondered.

_Day three…_

Kinski woke up late. I was up an hour before him. It was past noon, and since there was nothing to do, we decided to go outside and watch Kinski's clothes dry. The area clothesline was located outside behind the rebel house, aka (The Rodent Family house) It was the only place the rebels could hang their clothes out to dry. Two wooden supports were hammered down in the dirt. They stood about six feet tall and held the ends of the long string.

Hanging on the string were Kinski's normal dress clothes attached to clothespins. The clouds lazily moved along in the sky. The cool winds picked up, making Kinski's orange jumpsuit, baggy black pants, and longsleeve dark blue shirt flap in the breeze.

There was nothing to me seen out for miles except the never-ending dirt and the far away purple mountains.

Kinski watched his drying clothes flap in the winds as we sat on the hand made benches, drinking water. Kinski started to pull at a loose piece of string on the sleeve of his shirt. Kinski finally yanked the piece of string out and flicked his fingers, making the piece of string flutter to the ground.

I stared at the clothesline with clothes, particulary the orange jumpsuit. On the front, it had faded letters I have never noticed before. Well, actually, how could I when it was always covered up? Kinski didn't seem to notice it. I made out the word: _Psycho. _Underneath the word, were six numbers: 342011. They were prison clothes.

"Why do you wear that orange jumpsuit underneath your clothes?" I asked him. Kinski shot me a look. "None of yer business!" he snapped. I took a sip of water from my glass and glared at him. "It might as well be my business, I'm taking care of you, the least you could do is tell me some things," I said back.

Kinski opened his mouth but nothing came out. Then he closed it and looked away. I looked back at the hanging clothes. "How long have you had them?" I asked. Kinski sighed. "I dunno, a couple of years. I got zem when I was in prison with Bill," Kinski said. I turned my head to him.

"You met Bill in a prison?" I asked. Kinski nodded, "Yeah, we didn't like each other when we first met, but then we got used to each other and we escaped the prison. Bill said he wanted to start up a gang again, and I decided to join since I had no where to go, but I wasn't sure how long _zis _"gang" thing would last," explained Kinski shrugging as he drank from his glass of water.

He looked down in his glass and swished the water around. _His deformity sent off little stabs of pain_. "Is there any alcohol here?" he asked. I shook my head. "There's an alcohol shortage in Market Street, sorry," I explained. Kinski flinched and groaned. "Dammit," he said angrily and placed his glass down on the ground. _The little stabbing pains continued_.

I took a sip from my glass. I thought back to my dream from last night. I looked over at the hunchback jackrabbit. His left finger tugged at the collar of his shirt. His eyes flickered over to me. "What?" he asked. I looked down at my glass of water. "…have you been having any dreams where you are killed by Rango and his posse?" I asked in a low voice. Kinski didn't say anything. I looked up at him. Kinski's eyes were narrowed as he stared at his clothes on the clothesline. "…killed…by the sheriff and his posse, yah?" he asked. "Yes," I said. Kinski went quiet again. After a couple of seconds, he finally shook his head. "No…why?" he asked.

I told Kinski about the strange dreams I have been having for the past couple of months or so. Kinski didn't look at me. He seemed troubled by the mentioning of him, Bill, Stump, and Chorizo getting shot and buried. When I finished, Kinski took a sip of water and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "…I have no idea what it means," he said in a low voice. I looked at him, but he quickly averted his eyes away. I dont know why, but I sensed he wasnt telling me something...

We didn't say anything after that. When my glass was empty, I placed it down next to my feet. Just as I did, I noticed something at the corner of my eye. I looked over and saw dark smoke. The thin, fading trail of smoke rose high in the air. I remembered back from yesterday, the incident with the fire. Kinski turned his head to where I was looking. "Smoke…from yesterday, yes?" he asked in his German accent. I nodded. Kinski stared at the smoke. He smirked. He pulled out his box of matches and struck one. I scooted away from him as he stared at it.

"Spectacular, yah?" he asked, turning to me. I blinked, "What is?" I asked. Kinski's eyes flickered over to the flame. "Fire," he said, laughing softly as he stared at it. My wing dug into the wood of the chair, away from Kinski. Kinski admired the flame. "Reminds me vhen I was back in my homela-" he stopped. The wind blew out the flame, but Kinski didn't seem to notice. I relaxed a bit, and looked up at Kinski.

"Germany?" I guessed. Kinski blinked out of his thoughts. He dropped the black tipped match. He shrugged. "I dunno, I guess _somevhere _in Germany…" he said. "Do you miss it?" I asked. Kinski narrowed his eyes. "…No," he said. I flinched in my seat. Kinski glared down at his water. I relaxed a little. "Why?" I asked. Kinski sneered, his shoulders went up. I looked away from him. "It's ok, you don't have to tell-" I started.

"I lived in an orphanage when I vas young," he said. My ears perked up. I remembered he told me something about his childhood years ago. Kinski continued. "The kids made fun of me…because I vas different," I noticed his nails digging into the wood of the bench. Kinski looked down at his feet. His narrowed eyes burned anger.

"I lost it…and burned ze orphanage down!" his voice raised. He clenched his teeth angrily as he thought back to the time. "I started fires," he said in a whisper. He pulled out his jacks and stared down at them. His heavy breathing slowed. He gradually calmed down. His mouth flickered from a smile to a frown at the thought. He was quiet for a couple minutes. Gradually, the storm lifted from Kinski's face. He turned to me, noticing the nervous look on my face.

"What about you? Where were you from?" he asked. I jolted when he started talking to me. I looked at him confusingly. "What?" I asked. "Vhere vere you from?" he repeated. I gave him a quizzical look. "Why do you want to know?" I asked. He shrugged. "Just curious," he said. I felt my face heat up. _He wanted to know? _

I sighed and lowered my head and sadly looked down into my lap. "I don't remember…I don't know anything about myself…I thought I told you before," I said. Kinski shook his head. "No," he said.

I thought for a minute then shook my head, "You shouldn't bother asking… there's nothing interesting about me." Kinski snorted. "Of course zere is, what the hell do you call your crazy screamin'?" he asked me, touching the tips of my ears. I flicked my ears back from his touch. I shrugged, "an unexplainable phenomenon?" I guessed. Kinski narrowed his eyes.

"Ok, what about yer eyes? I haven't seen anythin' with…demon-like eyes before," he said. I narrowed my eyes. I hate how people refer to my eyes as demon eyes. Kinski noticed my glare but ignored it. I calmed down and shrugged again, "Born with them?" I guessed again. Kinski still wasn't convinced.

"What about that weird symbol?" he pointed to my shirt. I stared down at my shirt. The red symbol. I stared at it. I have never really paid attention to it until now. It wasn't that interesting. It was just a circle with a couple lines in it. It was the only clue I had to know where I was from. "…I, have no idea," I said, looking down at the symbol. Kinski smirked. "See? There is something, something mysterious and strange about ya, but you just don't know it yet," Kinski said. I nodded, "Yet," I repeated softly.

...

After a while, I finally got up and walked over to the clothesline. I ran my thumbs over the material of Kinski's hanging clothes. "They're dry," I called over to Kinski. Kinski got up and came where I was. He grabbed his clothes off the clothesline. "Thank God! Thought they'd never dry," he said.

"Do you want me to sew up the areas where it has holes?" I asked him, extending my wing out. "No," he said, moving away from me as if I may grab them from him. "Fine, at least they are clean," I said. I looked out at the never-ending desert one more time. The wind ruffled my long spiky dark hair and sleeveless grey shirt.

Just then, five year old Petunia came out. "Hi Banshee, and…" started the little girl. Trying to remember Kinski's name as she stared at him. Kinski just looked down at the girl, not saying a word. He never seemed to talk around new people a lot.

"Kinski, and hi Petunia," I said. Petunia smiled, "Kinski! Yeah…why don't the people in my mommy and daddy's home like you?" she asked, she smoothed out her over sized dress and looked up at the hunchback with huge glossy eyes. Kinski shifted from one foot to the other.

"Because…" I started for him. I didn't know how to explain this to a five year old girl. I hesitated for a while. Finally, Kinski answered. "Because I'm different," he said in a low voice.

Petunia moved her eyes to Kinski's hump. "Because of that thing?" she asked, pointing at his deformity. Kinski's hands tightened around his clothes. "Yes," he said through clenched teeth. I looked at him nervously, hoping he wouldn't get apprehensive just because Petunia mentioned his deformity. "Did people think you looked scary with it?" she asked. Kinski didn't say anything. Then Petunia walked closer up to him. Kinski backed up a bit from her.

She stopped and motioned her hand for him to stoop down to her eye level. He hesitated, then looked at me for help. I shrugged. He looked back at the little girl and went down on his knees. Kinski twisted his bundled up clothes nervously. I held my breath. I didn't know what to do.

Petunia looked at his deranged, rough face. Kinski's eyes were narrowed, not by anger but by concern and curiosity. She slowly reached up with her hands and touched his face. Kinski stiffened and bit his tongue. Petunia moved his long bangs out of his eyes and touched the sides of his rough face and his long drooping ears. "You have really long ears," Petunia giggled. Kinski relaxed, then cocked his head. I sighed with relief and smiled. It was cute.

Then Petunia moved her hand over his sandy blonde hair, and toward his hump. Kinski gasped and his eyes widened. I gasped as well. I could hear his heart pounding rapidly. Kinski breathed heavily through his twitching pink nose. Petunia ran a small hand across his hump. She smiled. _She was born in a town of strange creatures, so she was somewhat used to strange things, and it fascinated her. Kinski's deformity was the most interesting thing she has ever seen. _

"I like your hump, it's fun," Petunia smiled. Kinski's eyes widened, "You do?" he asked, turning his head to her in disbelief._ He never thought anyone would like his deformity._ Petunia nodded, "Yeah, it's not scary, and you aren't scary," she said. Kinski smiled.

Abruptly, Beans called Petunia in from the back porch of the Rodent family's house. "Petunia, come here I need to speak with you," she said, her voice with a mixture of anger and worry. Petunia ran her hand over Kinski's hump one more time then said good-bye to us and ran to Beans. They both went inside and Beans closed the door.

Kinski was still on his knees and his eyes were still focused at the door where Petunia and Beans disappeared through. I helped him up. "Are you ok?" I asked him. Kinski turned his head to me and grinned, "yeah…," he said happily. _A new feeling went over Kinski. Something that made his fears and pains all go away. He liked this new feeling. _The clouds started to turn a shade of pink and orange. The sun was going down and the winds became nippy.

"Come on, lets go inside," I said. Kinski snapped out of his thoughts and followed me back to the house. As we walked, Kinski kept looking at me. I started to feel uncomfortable. I turned around and faced him. "What?" I asked, looking up at him. "Do _you_ like my deformity?" he asked smiling. I looked down, "…maybe," I said.

Then I continued walking. Kinski bounded along and caught up with me. He walked next to me. "Come on, you can tell me, eh?" he said in his German accent, smiling. He rested his head on my shoulder. His droopy ears flapped over my shoulders. I instantly felt a wave of heat go through my body. I side stepped from him. Kinski grinned mischievously. _He enjoyed making Banshee feel uncomfortable_.

I didn't say anything. I bit my lower lip nervously. "You should know by now," I finally said. Kinski stopped smiling and cocked his head a bit. Then he thought for a minute and shrugged. "Ok, I'll take zat as a yes," he said, smiling and bounded along beside me as we walked inside.

* * *

_In the Rebel Hideout..._

Everyone, except Kinski, sat around the table and ate dinner. Little conversations were heard. When everyone was done, they picked up their empty cracked plates and glasses and walked away. I was just about to get up and leave to give Kinski his food when I heard Beans say my name. "Banshee, please sit down. I want to speak with you," she said in a firm voice. I stopped and turned back to Beans. She sat on the other side, her hands rested on top of the table. I silently sat down.

Beans cleared her throat. "I already told Petunia, now I'm going to tell you," she said. I didn't say anything. Beans continued. "Petunia is not allowed to be around Kinski," she said. She waited for me to say something, I didn't. Beans took a deep breath and continued. "I have already warned her to not be around him. He's psychotic, and I don't want Petunia to get him all riled up and possibly kill her, or anyone else," she told me.

I spoke. "Kinski is starting to like P-" I started. Beans interrupted me. "No, Banshee, I'm sorry, but I don't trust him," she said. I closed my mouth. I wasn't going to win this battle against Beans. I might as well not say anything and just let her win. Beans stared at me. "Promise me that you wont let Kinski come near Petunia." I looked up at Beans and nodded. "Yes," I said. Beans nodded her head and looked down at her hands. We didn't talk.

Suddenly, Petunia came in. "Hi!" she said smiling. We smiled back, "Hi Petunia," I said. The little girl rodent walked up to me and watched Beans. "Whatchya doin?" she asked Beans. Beans looked down at her and then back at me. "We were discussing some things," said Beans. I didn't say anything. Petunia smiled and decided to play around the room for a while.

Beans watched her walk around the room, touching everything. She smiled at the five year old girl. Then Petunia waved goodbye and ran out of the room. Beans sighed happily, "She's such a sweet little girl," the female lizard said. I smiled and nodded, "She's a good girl," I agreed. "I wish I had a girl like her…" Beans said. I looked over at Beans. She loved Petunia as if she was her own child, which was why she was so overprotective and didn't want her being around Kinski.

I nodded my head. Beans looked over at me, "have you ever thought about having kids?" she asked. I felt my face heat up, "oh no, er…well, I'm not sure… I haven't even found the right guy yet… I don't really think any guy is right for me," I spluttered out, feeling a bit embarrassed and thought about Kinski.

Beans smiled a small smile. "You will, eventually," she said. We were quiet for a minute. Finally I broke the silence. "What about you?" I asked her. Beans looked up at me, then looked down at the ground. I stood up, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" I started. Beans placed her hand up, "No…it's not yer fault," she said.

Then Beans sat down at the table and sighed softly. I looked down sadly, feeling horrible for mentioning it. Then I slowly got up, took Kinski's plate of food, and quietly left the room, leaving Beans to her thoughts. Beans was still mourning over Rango's death. She could never get over it, none of us could, but she loved Rango, and couldn't stop thinking about him. She has planned on starting a family with him, but when Bill killed him, her dreams were shattered, and now, she's left in a sad depression. An eternal depression that could never be fixed...

I slowly walked down the long, cold tunnels to Kinski's room. Just then, I saw Kinski and Petunia playing. Kinski was out of his borrowed clothes, and back in his gunslinger clothes. They stopped when they saw me. Kinski slowly walked backwards from Petunia, into his room and closed the door. Petunia looked down at the ground when I approached her.

"I just want to play with 'im, he ain't scary, nor mean," said the little girl. I sighed and rubbed my head with my free wing. I hated being in the middle of things. I didn't want Petunia to get in trouble with Beans for playing with Kinski, but Kinski and Petunia seemed to be coping with each other fine, and I wouldn't think that Kinski would hurt Petunia, because what she said to him earlier.

I looked up at Kinski, who just peeked his head out from the door, then looked down at Petunia. "I promise I wont tell, but you must promise to me that you will tell me when you want to play with him ok?" I asked her. Petunia beamed at me and hugged me. "Yes! I will! Thank you Banshee!" she said. I smiled and handed Kinski his plate of food. Kinski accepted it, but something was wrong.

Kinski looked down at the ground. He didn't look so sure about something. Before I could ask what was wrong, he moved his head and his plate of food out from the door and closed it. Petunia and I exchanged glances. I shook my head and decided not to worry about it. I picked Petunia up and carried her off to her bed.

* * *

**A/N: I have given Kinski some little quirks and things so he could be more of a round character instead of a flat (minor) character. If you have noticed, in the movie, he does wear an orange coverall underneath his clothes. I seriously dont know what it really is, but I'm certain it's an orange coverall when he escaped jail or something. Of course, if you have noticed what Kinski's jail numbers are in this chapter, then you are a genius. Also to add, Banshee's strange symbol (sorry i havent really gone to full detail on that) is somewhat important for this story, so don't forget. Thank you again and Chapter ten will be up soon. :) **


	10. Chapter 10: In the Mind of Kinski

**Chapter 10 everyone! :) This one was somewhat hard to work on. I have left some things open, so you have no idea until later on. I apologize. You have to use your brain :) well anyway, this chapter starts off in Kinski's perspective for a while, then back to Banshee's. Tell me what you think. Enjoy! :)**

_Day four…_

_Kinski's Perspective…_

_Kinski woke up the next day in a panic. He blinked in his dark room and jerked his head around frantically. Since day one of his nights in the underground rebel home, he has been having horrible thoughts. Thoughts where the rebels were in his room with a knife or a gun and were about to kill him. Since then, he always slept with his loaded gun, under his pillow. _

_After convincing himself that no one was in the room. He flipped over and looked under his bed, His droopy ears touched the ground as he hung upside down from his bed and looked under. His eyes shifted from left to right and back again suspiciously. He kept looking around upside down until all the blood got to his head. He slowly lifted back onto his bed and laid back onto his side. He rubbed his tired eyes and groaned, not sure whether to get up or not. _

_He blinked and stared straight at the sideways chair next to his bed. Suddenly, his deformity gave him a painful jolt. He winced and his upper body jerked violently. On accident, he turned and laid on his twisted back. _

_Instantly a huge wave of pain from his hump coursed through his body. His lungs compressed. His eyes widened in pain and panic. The circulation in his system was being cut off. He tried screaming but no sound came out. He started to panic. Immediately, he got out of his painful position and fell out of his bed and onto the cold, hard floor. His lungs started working again. He gasped for air and clutched his twisted rising and falling chest. He closed his eyes and let his head rest up against the side of the bed. Thankful that he didn't die. _

_Kinski has done that same exact mistake a couple of times in his lifetime. He never intends to, but on some of those occasions he has purposely tried to lay on his back. Just once in his lifetime, he wished he could lie on his back without any problems what-so-ever. _

_He remembered how his friends, Stump, Bill, and Chorizo would lie on their backs at night and gaze up at the stars, talking about their past or maybe what may happen to them in the future. Kinski always felt unwanted in their little conversations and wander off somewhere else and lie on his side, staring at the sideways world that laid before him. A wish, a small, pathetic little wish…but it was his wish, a wish that was small to others, but big to him. A simple ability everyone else could do…except him. _

_Kinski sighed and gingerly helped himself up. He lightly rubbed his deformed monstrosity. He then slowly ran his furry fingers along the sides and felt where the hump seemed _connected_ to him. He always wondered if he could just remove it himself, but every time he touched it, or slammed it up against something, it would always give him a horrible treatment of pain. _

_It was a part of him. It was him, a strange condition that happened while he was forming... Kinski narrowed his eyes. He hated thinking about it. He didn't want to think about his deformity, his unknown parents, or anything that occurred in his horrible past. Nothing! His past was nothing. He had no past…but why did he have nightmares every night? Kinski shook the thoughts from his head and scratched one of his long droopy ears as he silently made his way out the door. _

_He just left his room and along the tunnel, he quickly glanced over into Banshee's room. Banshee was still asleep. He hesitated, then narrowed his eyes and gripped a chunk of his hair angrily, walking at a faster pace down the tunnel. He didn't want to think about Banshee. Deep down, he really appreciated her kindness toward him, but along the twisted strands of his slightly mixed up mind, he had no intentions of being kind back to her, or even thinking of being around her. He couldn't. He just…couldn't. _

_His past, present and future has already been made for him: He was a bad person, and he would always be a bad person. He couldn't be with Banshee...even if it gave him so much pain just thinking about it._

_Bill has one time in the past, told him how his reputation was pure evil, a perfect reputation for a bad person, and Kinski enjoyed the pain and misery he gave to others…but inside, just under the surface of his bad, satisfied self, he regretted all the murders he did in the past. _

_Instantly his twisted mind tells him: Oh no, my dear boy, you are wrong about that. Those people deserved to die. Then a really small tiny voice, about the size of a tip of a needle, and as bright as the sun itself, would come out and say: No, they didn't. The two voices would argue back and forth until Kinski would go insane and start bashing his head against the wall to shut up the voices in his head. _

_Suddenly, as he continued walking down the tunnels, he realized he wasn't the only person up. Elgin and Sergeant Turley were walking the opposite direction down the same tunnel he was. Kinski let go of his hair and stopped. He lightly pressed himself against the wall of the tunnel and averted his eyes from them. Elgin and Sergeant Turley shot him a glare. Kinski growled at them. When the two were gone, Kinski continued on his way. _

_After that, he saw Spoons coming toward him. He decided to not bother stopping and quickened his pace once more. He didn't want to see any more dirty looks from the rebels anymore. No one liked him, and he didn't like them. Unexpectedly, Spoons stopped right in front of him, blocking his way. "Hold it, hunchback," said the small desert mouse. Kinski stopped, a powerful urge told him to smack the small creature aside, but Kinski bit his tongue and held his ground. _

_Spoons glared up at Kinski. Kinski glared back. Spoons spoke, "I hate how you have to be 'round 'ere, wish you was on yer way out. Ya look like ya can take care of yerself…sleepin' outside, eatin' scraps of food…" he muttered the last part. Kinski's face hardened. His hands balled up into fists at his sides, and he bared his teeth, but didn't say anything. Spoons continued._

"_Why do ya listen to Banshee? I would think you'd instantly kill 'er the moment she tells you to shut the hell up and follow 'er like a puppy followin' it's master," asked Spoons, spitting a thin stream of tobacco juice out of his mouth to his right. _

_The fur on the back of Kinski's neck stuck straight up. It was bad enough for Spoons to be talking to Kinski like that, but making him seem like a fluffy little bunny following orders from a girl who was a couple years younger then him, was really crossing the line. _

_Anger flowed through Kinski's veins. Suddenly, at lightning speed, Kinski grabbed the front of Spoons' shirt and lifted him up to his face. Spoons gasped and struggled in Kinski's grasp. The old mouse tried reaching down for his gun, but it was no use. He looked up at the hunchback jackrabbit and gasped again, but this time, in horror. He stared in sheer terror in the wild jackrabbit's eyes. They were overflowing from the brim in uncontrollable insanity and rage. It was like looking into Rattlesnake Jake's eyes. Like seeing death itself. _

_Kinski glared down at the horrified and trembling old mouse. He wanted to kill the old mouse, he wanted to beat him senseless, fling him down the tunnel, then shoot him!…but something was holding Kinski back. A very, very, thin thread was holding him back from killing Spoons…but what? _

_Kinski's death stare gradually faded away from his eyes. Spoons shook all over in fear, suspended in the air, his air curculation cutting off. Kinski smirked, enjoying seeing the old mouse tremble in fear before him. _

"_I know vhat yer tryin' to do, it ain't gonna work, if it did, you'd be dead bef'r you knew it!" snarled Kinski. With that, Kinski dropped Spoons. Spoons landed on his rump with a loud _thud. _Spoons' body still shook all over from the close encounter. He averted his eyes from the hunchback jackrabbit. Kinski grunted. Satisfied. Then he went back to his room before he changed his mind on leaving Spoons to live. _

_Spoons just stayed there on the ground, too scared to move. _Maybe it _was_ a bad idea to try and get the hunchback in trouble_, thought Spoons and gulped. He could feel his heart pounding. It felt like it was trying to break out of his chest. He took a couple of deep breaths, and slowly exhaled. He knew he was a very lucky guy. _

_No one ever pissed off the hunchback without living to tell the tale. Spoons was only intending to get Kinski a bit angry with him and possibly hurt him to where the rebels had no choice but to fill him full of lead…but that plan failed. Spoons carefully got up from the cold ground. Kinski's death glare still burned in his mind… _

* * *

...

Later on in the day, I helped Elgin, Buford, Mr. Furgus, and Waffles to put up more supports for my room. The hole in my ceiling was now two feet long and a foot wide. Little chunks of dirt fell on top of us. Covering us in a thin layer of white dust. Elgin cursed under his breath as he stuck a wooden beam next to the hole. The men placed two more supports in. Grunting and cursing angrily.

"Damn, this place might cave in at any moment," said Buford scratching his head. Mr. Furgus gave him a look. "Don't say that, you don't know," he said. Waffles grinned, "Yeah! Yeah! It could happen as we put these supports in now!" said Waffles excitedly. Elgin spat angrily and shot the short excited Waffles a glare.

I used rope to tie the slanting supports together so they both formed a triangle. The other went the opposite direction and held up the corner. When I was done tying them, we all took a step back to admire our work.

"Now, don't start hitting it or anythin' allrigh'?" asked Mr. Furgus. I smiled. "I won't," I promised. "And be careful you don't run into it when you are sleep walkin'," joked Waffles. We all chuckled and then filed out of my room. I checked on Kinski to see if he was ok. Petunia stood outside of his door. She turned to me sadly. "He says he doesnt want to play," said the five year old girl. I looked down at Petunia, "I'll talk to him, go play with Priscilla," I said. Petunia slowly nodded her head, "Ok," she said quietly. She sadly walked down the tunnels toward Priscilla's room. I watched Petunia leave with her head down. I turned to Kinski's door. "Kinski?" I called, knocking on his door. No answer. When I opened his door, I found him curled up into a ball on his bed. He flinched when he heard me and turned his head over to me. I touched the edges of the door frame.

"Just came to see if you were allright," I said. Kinski huffed and laid his head back down. I sighed, "What's wrong?" I asked him. Kinski shifted on his bed. "Nothing," he said. I stood there for a minute. "You're upset about something," I pointed out. Kinski huffed again. "I hate it here," he muttered softly. I looked down at the ground and thought for a moment. Then I lifted my head back up and looked at Kinski in his curled up position. "I know what'll make you feel better," I said.

...

Kinski followed me outside to the behind the Rodent Family's house, and then up to the rooftop. I found a place to sit and sat down. Kinski stood. "Why 're ve up 'ere?" he asked. I gestured the rooftop. "This _was_ where I usually went when I was upset and wanted to get away from reality," I explained.

Kinski looked out over the desert landscape. Just then, he noticed the setting sun. It blazed a beautiful scene of fire red, amber orange and lemon yellow. The colors smeared and mixed with each other across the pale periwinkle sky. Kinski was blown away at the sunset. I looked down at the ground. Kinski snapped out of his trance and turned to me.

"You ok?" he asked. I lifted my head to him and placed my left wing over my yellow eyes, shielding them from the sun. "The light blinds me, I can't look at the sunsets anymore…" I said. Kinski blinked_. Then he remembered how Banshee did wear sunglasses every time she went outside. Then he remembered how she was squinting and suffering in the blind light when they were leading the slave citizens from the Blue Night Club to the Rebel hideout._

He sat down next to me. He averted his eyes from me, not saying anything. I lowered my head and closed my sensitive eyes. "I just wish that I could have normal eyes…like everyone else…go out into the sunlight without having to wear sunglasses at all…" _Kinski stared down at Banshee. Realizing that Banshee suffered as much as him. Different pains, but were the same: the longing to be normal. _

Kinski lifted his head back up at the most beautiful sunset he has ever seen in his life. He has almost forgotten what sunsets looked like, he remembered how he would watch them out in the wasteland desert with Bill, Stump, and Chorizo_-_

_Suddenly, Kinski's thoughts were interrupted something up in the sky caught his eye. He peered up and noticed a twinkling star. He stared at it for a minute and looked away… He instantly remembered. He remembered what happened this morning..._

I noticed Kinski clenching his teeth angrily. "You ok?" I asked. Kinski relaxed his mouth and gave me a look. "No…y-you…you vouldn't understand…" he said and glared down at the roof tiles. "How do you know? Why don't you tell me?" I asked. Kinski felt the tips of his ears grow hot. "You'll think its stupid," he said. I narrowed my eyes at him, "No, I wont," I said.

Kinski hesitated. "It's…a wish…a stupid wish!" he spluttered angrily. I gave him a look, "_My_ wish is a stupid wish," I said. Kinski shook his head. "No…I'd rather have yer wish then mine…" he said sadly. He looked back up. The sky now had more stars. The fiery sunset was dying down. It gave off its last slow flames of light. Silver dots in the sky lit up. Multiplying.

Kinski took a deep breath and exhaled. "I wish…I could lay on my back and look up at the stars…just like vhat Bill, Stump and Chorizo did… when ve were on the run from the law," he said slowly. "We slept outside in the cool night…around a nice warm fire, telling stories…then, Bill, Stump and Chorizo vould lie on their backs and gaze up at ze stars…I 'ave tried to lie on my back, just like zem…but I never could…because of zis stupid godawful monster from hell!" he raised his voice and gestured to his hump. He noticed me looking at him and tried to calm down. He inhaled and exhaled heavily, slowing his racing, heart and outraged self.

I stared at Kinski. _His wish wasn't stupid. It wasn't stupid at all. It was something he wanted. A simple thing that he couldn't do because of his deformity. I could picture myself in his condition: Pain all the time. I wondered if that's why he drank so much, to reduce the pain. It started to all piece together. I felt horrible for him. I wished there was some way I could help him…_

My eyes started to well up. Tears ran down the sides of my face. Kinski noticed, surprised by my reaction to his little story. "Why are you crying?" he asked, not sure what to do. I quickly looked away and wiped the salty tears from my eyes. I sniffed, then turned away, feeling embarrassed. We sat in silence as we looked up at the starry night.

Suddenly, we saw the moon peeking out from the tall faraway mountains. Kinski's eyes widened. He started to breathe at a fast pace. "L-lets go inside," he said quickly. I looked at him. Why?" I asked. Kinski didn't answer as he moved to the other side of the two story house where the shadows were starting to form.

He climbed down the side of the two story house and ran inside. I took one last look over at the beautiful night scenery, then flapped my wings down to the ground and walked inside, just as the moon floated over the mountains to cast its luminous glow over the desert land…

* * *

_Day five..._

The next morning, I woke up early and went down to Kinski's room and woke him up. Kinski didn't like being woken up early. He grabbed the covers and lifted them over his head. He said something, but I couldn't understand. "Come on, Kinski, we got to get more food, and I can't leave you here without me watching you." _I finally persuaded Beans to let me go outside early in the mornings. I was allowed to get up at six, and come back at around nine, the time when the Security guards finally came out. _

Kinski groaned and got out of bed. We walked out of the rebel home and toward Market Street. The sun was just peeking over the mountains and the small rays warmed us up. Kinski yawned tiredly and used his left hand to shield his eyes from the blinding light. I used my wings to shield my sensitive eyes from the light as well.

A couple of people walked the streets. Traders were just setting up their stands of food and other goods. Along the way, Kinski discovered a pill bug scuttling along the dirt road. He grinned mischievously and started kicking it as he went. The pill bug rolled up and stayed in that state. Kinski snickered as he continued to kick it with his long rabbit feet. After a while, he got bored with it and stopped kicking the pill bug. He yawned again and moved his head to make his long dirty blond bangs fall over his eyes.

We went to the end of the street where Gerald's random stand was. He was a small rat, and was part Asian. _His grandparents migrated from China to the United States to start a new life for their kids. His father married an American rat and then they had Gerald (named after his American mom, but he had his dad's last name: Shing) who just moved into "Bill's City" to try and get some money. _

"Hello Miss Banshee!" said Gerald Shing from his stand and bowed respectively. Then he looked back up at me and noticed Kinski. "Ah, I see you have a friend with you," the trader said in a soft voice and bowed again to Kinski. Kinski stopped what he was doing and looked at Gerald confusingly. "Vhat's he doing?" Kinski whispered to me. "He's bowing. His father was from China, that's what they do, its another way to greet someone," I said. Kinski blinked, then he copied Gerald's move by giving him a slight bow. Gerald stopped bowing and smiled up at Kinski.

"What do I owe pleasure of you two here?" the trader asked. "We need more food, we have more people staying in our hideout," I said. Mr. Shing smiled and nodded, then he turned to Kinski. "And you?" he asked. Kinski went behind me and shook his head. I smiled, "I'm babysitting him," I said and fished out the money from my pocket. Gerald looked at Kinski and then at me. "He need babysitter? Ain't he too old to have babysitter?" he asked.

I smiled again and turned my head to Kinski. Kinski glared down at me. "He is, but he still acts like a child," I said turning back to Gerald. _Yes, Kinski was too old to have a babysitter, but he was a lunatic. He was somewhere in his thirties, and yet, he still needed someone to take care of him…which was a bit strange since I was a couple or so years younger then him. I seemed to be the only one who could keep him in line…_

Mr. Shing smiled. "It's good to have friend care for other," he said up to Kinski. Kinski stopped glaring at me and looked down at Gerald. Gerald motioned Kinski to come forward, "come here, what you call yourself?" he asked. Kinski hesitated and then quietly stepped forward to the stand. Kinski turned his head to me, then back at Gerald. "…Kinski," he said quietly. Gerald nodded his head.

Suddenly, a burst of flames erupted from the small iron stove inside Gerald's tent. Kinski's eyes widened at the fire. I gasped, "Gerald," I said and pointed to the fire. Gerald turned. He quickly ran to the fire and snuffed it out. He pulled the pan off the stove and looked inside. He turned to us and smiled. "It's ok, food's a little burnt, but still good," he said. Kinski blinked and shook his head, getting out of the trance.

Gerald noticed how Kinski stared at the flames. I noticed it also, it made me nervous. Gerald didn't seem to mind. He smirked as he placed the burnt pan down. "You like fire?" he asked. Kinski didn't say anything. Gerald lifted up a small hand, "one minute," he said and disappeared to the back of his stand. Kinski looked at me with a baffled expression. I shrugged and tried peeking into the stand. We waited outside the stand in silence for a minute.

Then Mr. Shing came back with something wrapped in a shiny black cloth. He came out of his stand and up to Kinski. "A gift, for you," the small trader said, extending the wrapped gift to Kinski. Kinski hesitated, then he accepted the gift and removed the shiny black material from it. It was a ten inch tall and five inch thick cylinder. The color was deep red and had a twelve inch long white string sticking out from the top if the cylinder. Kinski stared down at it.

Gerald pointed to it, "That, is a firework, you light it on tip with fire, wait couple minute till it give off big _fire explosion_," explained Gerald. Then Gerald looked up at Kinski. "But be careful, this, very special firework. Very powerful. Can take down almost anything," Kinski looked up at Gerald in disbelief. "Yer givin' this to me?" he asked, completly ignoring the warning Gerald just gave him. Mr. Shing gave Kinski a warm smile and bowed. Kinski's eyes widened, then he stared down at his gift. He turned to me and held out the firework. "I got a fireverk!" he said happily in his German accent.

He had a huge smile on his face. It was like seeing a kid on Christmas it was so special. Kinski whooped and started dancing around with the firework. I smiled at Gerald, "Thank you Mr. Shing, and here's the money for the food," I said, extending my wing out with the money in it. Gerald shook his head, "No pay, his happiness good enough for payment," said Gerald as he watched Kinski dance around with the red cylinder.

…

As Kinski and I said good bye to Gerald and walked down Market Street, back to Rebel Street, Kinski couldn't stop talking about his firework. "I got a fireverk!" he said happily. I smiled, "just don't light it inside the Rebel home," I said, remembering what Gerald the markettrader said. I didn't like how he told this to Kinski, and of all the things to give to someone who couldn't think straight.

Kinski nodded and kept admiring his firework. I turned my head over to him. I have never seen the hunchback jackrabbit so happy. In all the times I have known him, this was the happiest he has ever been in years.

"I got me a fireverk! Woo!" Kinski continued and danced around again. Suddenly he stopped and bent down low at the dusty dirt ground. I looked at him. "What's wrong?" I asked. Kinski picked something dirty off the ground. It looked like a piece of material from something.

Kinski quickly stuffed it in his pocket before I could get a glance at it. I walked up to him. "What was that?" I asked. Kinski started walking again. "Nothin'," he said. I walked alongside him. "Oh come on, show me," I said smiling. Kinski just stuck his tongue out playfully and then proceeded on with his happy, innocent self. I rolled my eyes and decided not to question it any further as we both walked down Rebel Street to the Rebel home.

* * *

**A/N: I give Kinski such a hard time, especially with his deformity. I might as well say, Kinski's wish wont come true in the end. I just cant seem to figure out how to make him lie on his back without killing himself :( Well, anyway, he's happy with his firework :) hope you liked it, and chapter 11 will be up later on :)**


	11. Chapter 11: The Red Flame

When we got home, I heard everyone talking excitedly in the Meeting Room. Priscilla told me that Kinski's five days were up. I felt my heart stop. _It was Kinski's last day? Already_? I ran into the Meeting room. The rebels turned their heads to me. "Banshee-" started Beans. "Please let him stay for just one more day!" I blurted out. The rebels stared at me. I closed my mouth and looked away. Beans got up from her chair.

"Banshee, you promised, he has to leave now," said Ambrose. "I was going to tell you, but you and Kinski were already gone," said Beans, crossing her arms over her chest. "Where did you two go?" asked Doc. I felt the tips of my ears burning. "Market Street," I said in a low voice, I slowly lifted the food in my wings. Everyone went quiet. Just then, Kinski came in. He stood behind me and looked over at the rebels. The rebels looked back at him, Elgin, Mr. Furgus, Ambrose, and Doc glared at him. Spoons took a step back.

"Why do you want him to stay a little longer, Banshee?" asked Beans. I stiffened where I stood. All eyes were on me. I couldnt tell them. My heart thumped loudly. I couldn't think of a lie. Just then, Kinski stepped forward. "I 'ave already talked to one of ze market traders. He said he vas going to take me to a different town, a town he always goes to every week to trade food. He couldn't take me today because he vas still fixing his stand. He's been trying to fix it since the day a certain Nightmare crashed into it," he paused and eyed me for a moment. I suddenly felt small.

Then he cleared his throat and continued. "One more night is all I need, then I leave yer place, first thing tomorrow morning," he said. The seriousness and firmness in his voice surprised all of us. I blinked in disbelief. He already had plans on leaving?

The rebels murmured amongst themselves. Finally, Egin looked over at Kinski. He sneered. "All right, hunchback. You can stay here a little longer, but first thing tomorrow morning, yer ass is gone, got it?" he snarled. Kinski nodded. With that, Kinski left the room. I left the room too.

* * *

...

The day wore on till it was dinnertime. I gave Kinski his last meal, then went to my room. I wasn't hungry. I laid in my bed, staring up at the crumbling ceiling.

I didn't want Kinski to leave. Yes, he was a handful and annoying at times, but I just couldn't be apart from him. The five long years in the Dark Ages without him was torture for me. I couldn't stop thinking of him. Always thinking that he did something stupid and killed himself. I remembered what he said, on the first day that I brought him here, when I tried to stop him from leaving and asked him where he would go_: "Away from 'ere, zat's fer sure, maybe a different town. I don't care, I'll find a place, and the migraines will eventually go away, now git!" _He'll be leaving town first thing in the morning…and I won't ever see him again…

I sat on my bed, thinking of him, and what he said earlier. _Where was he going to go? How was he going to take care of himself? _I asked myself. I could hear low murmurs in the other rooms.

Suddenly I heard a strange noise. I looked up from my pillow. _What the-? _I thought. Suddenly the sound got louder. The sound was like dirt being scraped. I looked down from my bed and saw the cold grey dirt being pushed up, like someone was digging from underneath. Then the dirt exploded and Kinski came up, covered in dirt.

"Hello," he said smiling. I looked at him confusingly. "You know, there's a door," I said, pointing my wing toward the door. Kinski shook his head and grains of mixed soils fell from his face and hair. His smile gradually faded as he turned to where I was pointing, then back at me. "…I know," he said, but it didn't seem like he did. He coughed up some dirt from his mouth.

"What do you want?" I asked him in a calm uninterested voice, but inside, I was glad he was here. Kinski came out from his little tunnel. He shook the dirt from himself and sat at the edge of my bed.

"Please get off," I said. Kinski got off, leaving a pile of dirt on my bed. Kinski stood. "I vanted to talk to you about something, about my last day here," he said as he picked out the clusters of dirt from his hump and shook his shirt. He kicked his legs a bit and mounds of dirt came out. I didn't want to talk about his last day. I changed the subject.

"How long did it take you? To dig that hole?" I asked. Kinski stopped shaking the dirt from himself and looked down at the hole. He thought for a moment, then shrugged, "I dunno…twenty seconds?" he guesstimated. I nodded, then I turned and used my wing to brush the dirt off my bed in long sweeps.

Kinski watched my sad, long sweeps. "Something wrong?" he asked. I didnt look up at him, "D-did you really mean it?...Are you really leaving?" I asked. Kinski nodded, "Yah, I said I vas, yes?" he asked. I nodded, I felt tears come to my eyes, but I fought them back. "Why can't you..." my voice faltered. Kinski stared down at me. He cocked his head. "...vhat?" he asked. I stared down at my wings. "...stay..." I said, barely a whisper. Kinski didnt hear what I said, he just shrugged and decided to tell me what wanted to talk to me about.

"Tonight, I vas hopin' zat maybe we, you and I could...," his voice faltered. "could...do something together..." he said, smiling nervously from droopy ear to droopy ear. I looked up at him confusingly. "Do something together?" I felt myself blushing. Kinski's smile widened a bit. "Yeah."

* * *

...

"We're going to get caught," I whispered as we walked along the dark, empty streets to Main Street. It was night, no moon, only dark clouds. Kinski just waved his hand, "We'll be fine, trust me, yer gonna 'ave ze time of yer life," he said. I followed Kinski, to the bright colorful side of the City. I shifted my eyes from left to right. Everywhere I looked, there was a group of security guards. I pulled my hood lower over my face. "I don't like this, Kinski, let's go back," I said. Kinski shook his head. "No, and I promise you wont git caught," he said as he continued pulling me through the street.

We both wore old worn coats to keep us warm from the cold night, but underneath, we wore "nice clothes." I really don't know why he wanted me to wear my "best dress." Something was up, but Kinski wouldn't tell me.

I have never been on Main Street at night, but tonight, my breath was taken away. The whole place was bright, colourful, and festive. Strings of rainbow lights were strung, bustling people moved around in elegant dresses and sharp suits. Music poured out of every casino and night club left and right. Neon signs flickered reds and oranges, greens and blues everywhere, enticing people to come in.

Kinski grabbed my wing, snapping me out of my hypnotized state and pulled me down the street. "Look lively," he said grinning. I couldn't help but smile. We zig-zagged and shouldered our way through the busy streets. "Where are we going?" I asked the hunchback jackrabbit. He didn't answer and kept pulling me down the street. Finally, we stopped at a night club called The Red Flame.

I stopped. "No," I said. Kinski stopped and turned to me. "Vhat?" he asked. I narrowed my eyes at him, "That's one of Bill's night clubs, they're evil," I said angrily. _The rebels and I loathed Main Street, it was an evil place, we would never be caught dead there. _Kinski rolled his eyes. He grabbed my wing and pulled me closer to it. After that, he let go of my wing.

Kinski walked past the line of people and up to where the sign up reception stand was. The man at the stand glared at him. "Name?" he asked. Kinski smiled and rested his left arm on the stand, "Zat wont be necessary, yes?" he asked grinning mischievously and pulled out his gun. The people who were waiting in line behind us screamed and bolted away in different directions.

The man at the desk gasped. "O-oh, I'm s-sorry, of c-course! F-follow me s-sir," he said gesturing Kinski to follow him into the club. I got a quick glance at his gun before he placed it back in its holster. Kinski turned and looked at me, "Come on," he said, motioning his arm to follow. I shook my head.

"Only unless you tell me what's going on," I said. I could see Kinski's eyes flicker. He sighed, "Fine, I..." he faltered. My ears swivelled forward to him, listening. "Yes?" I asked. Kinski recollected himself, he looked down at his feet. "I...really appreciated your kindness to me…and I vant to return ze favor, by treating you someplace special… and zis ain't a night club, it's just a normal restaurant," he said, correcting me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. _He appreciated what I have done for him? _I thought. He looked up at me. I looked back. _Something was different about Kinski. I could see something flicker in his eyes. Change. It was change. Kinski has changed, maybe those five long days have finally changed him, maybe he was a new man, trying to start over. Trying to start fresh_. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what to think of this change, but something in my stomach made me like the new Kinski. My thin tight lips loosened and formed a small smile. Kinski smiled back. I approached him, feeling a bit light. He grabbed my wing and pulled me into the restraunt.

A woman took our coats. Kinski wore his borrowed buttoned up shirt, it was tucked in, and he wore a nice pair of pants with no holes or dirt smudges. I wore my usual black sleeveless dress. I still wore the cloak. I kept the hood over my face as we followed the man from the reception desk. He led us down a row of tables already full of elegantly dressed women and handsomely dressed men. Sipping crystal gasses of red wine.

Inside it was dark, except for the occasional red and orange lights revolving around. Blood red curtains glimmered and sparkled from the little reflective lights of the disco balls. Gold and silver stars were painted along the dark blue walls like a real night sky. The carpet was a deep lemon yellow with red and orange flame designs. The layout of the place was like layers on each side, where you had to walk a couple steps up to the next level of tables of chairs. At the very end was a red painted stage, where a group of musicians played a nice upbeat song. Around them were flickering flames of fire. Mostly everywhere was fire, but I'm sure it was safe. The flickering flames made everything give off reflected light, making the place seem even more magical.

We followed the man up the steps to the top of the layer. "Here you go lady and gent," said the nervous man, an empty table for two waited for us. The man bowed his head, then walked back down. I quickly glanced around at the place again. Each table looked the same. The tablecloth was black with red flame designs with looked like it was painted on. In the middle sat a decorative candle with a decorated candle holder, which was stained glass and gave off a beautiful color of red and blue, which reflected on the table, a very nice purple. To the left of where the black menus laid waiting, were two tall crystal glasses of water.

Kinski and I sat down at a table, facing each other. "This nice, Yes?" he asked. I smiled, "Yes, it sort of fits you," I added, referring to the flames and fire. Kinski's eyes widened and looked away. His shoulders went up. "Yeah…vhat a coincidence," he said in a low voice. Then Kinski picked up the menu that sat in front of him. I did as well. I looked at all the names for the delicious dishes.

A waitress in a black dress and a white apron came to take our order. When she was done writing our order down, she took our menus and left. I listened to the nice music. It was calm, but had a nice beat to where you just wanted to get up and dance. The guests at their own tables murmured amongst each other.

I squinted at the bright revolving blue light every time it faced me. Kinski fingered his glass with one hand. The other was curled up into a fist and rested under his rough cheek. His eyes shifted to me and noticed me squinting. "The lights?" he asked me. I nodded, "Yeah, but its no big-" I started. Without turning his head, Kinski grabbed the front of a waiter's shirt right as he just started to pass by our table. The man yelped at the sudden action.

"Turn off the revolving lights, Miss Banshee 'ere has sensitive eyes," he said, gesturing to me. He bared his teeth at the scared waiter. Then he let go of the man's front shirt. The man smoothed out his shirt and nodded his head rapidly. "Y-yes, s-s-sir," he said and bolted down the stairs. Couple minutes later, the revolving lights stopped and went dead. Kinski smiled a satisfied smile and went back to tracing the lip around his water glass. The music changed again and went into a different tempo. Kinski grinned and thumped his hand on the table to the beat of the music.

Just then, a twenty five year old female lizard in a glittering black dress stopped at our table. She held a Polaroid camera in her hands. "Oh you two are such a cute couple, mind if I take a picture?" she asked. My heart stopped. I sank down lower in my chair. The waves of hot and cold increased. Kinski's face lit up. He smiled up at the lady, "Sure, why not, eh?" he said turning back to me. I shook my head nervously. Kinski cocked his head, his smile widened into a grin, revealing a mouth full of yellow rotting teeth. The lady smiled and raised her camera. She paused and lowered the camera a bit.

"Can you scoot in closer my dear?" the lady asked. I didn't move. Kinski rose out of his seat and went around where I sat and went down on his knees next to me. He smiled and placed his hand on my shoulder. His head lightly touched against mine. I stiffened. The girl smiled. "That's adorable. Ok, now stay like that…" she said and got her camera ready again. Kinski smiled and stuck his tongue out. I smiled a small smile, then the lady took our picture. Kinski got up and walked up to the lady. "Can I see it?" he asked, fumbling his fingers impatiently. The female lizard snatched the blank white picture from the slot it came out of and waved it back and forth. "Hold on, it takes a while for the image to appear," she said.

After about two minutes, she stopped waving it and checked it. Then she handed it to Kinski. Kinski snatched it from her and looked at it. His face lit up. "Heheh, ze look on yer face, Banshee," he laughed and showed me the picture. I laughed half heartedly. The lady smiled,

"If ya like it, the pic's ten dollars," she said. Kinski looked up at her. He fingered his gun in its holster. "Ten dollars? You sure?" he asked, the lighting in the room made his face more sinister. Shadows formed under his tired eyes.

The lady looked down at his hand fingering his gun. Her eyes went wide- eyed in shock. "Oh! Uh, n-no sir, I-its n-not," she said. With that, she did a quick curtsy and rushed down the stairs. Kinski snickered, the creepy shadows from under his eyes disappeared. He sat back down in his chair, staring at the picture.

I still couldn't let go of how he threatened that girl with the camera. I glared at him and crossed my wings over my chest. Kinski glanced over at me and saw the anger in my eyes. "Vhat?" he asked. Before I could answer, our female waitress came back and placed steaming alabaster porcelain plates with hot, mouth watering food. Kinski's eyes widened at his plate of food while he slipped the picture in his front pocket. He rubbed his furry hands together happily. Drool seeped out of his mouth. The waitress placed his glass filled to the top with his favorite wine.

When she left, Kinski attacked his food. I looked down at my plate. The music stopped for a minute, then the musicians played a different song for the guests. I picked up my silver fork and knife, and struggled with the food on my plate, which had fresh fruit, mashed potatoes smothered in gravy and a small slice of medium rare steak. I lifted my fork with a piece of steak at the end and chewed it. The small piece of steak was sweet and juicy. I beamed and ate a couple more bites.

After a couple of minutes, I looked up to see how Kinski was doing with his food. He had his head down over the plate, chewing the food like a savage animal. Then his eyes went up and noticed me looking at him. He slowly lifted his head up to me and smiled. His teeth were covered in food and chewed pieces dripped back down onto the plate. I just shook my head and went back to eating.

Kinski was done with his plate in thirty seconds flat. He drained his wine glass in one long gulp. He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. He smiled happily and leaned back in his chair. He patted his full stomach and flicked his droopy ears over his shoulder.

"_Zat_ _vas _good," he said happily in his German accent. I smiled and continued eating my food. After a couple minutes of watching me eat, Kinski looked down at his front pocket where he slipped the picture in. He placed his two fingers inside the pocket and touched the picture. He thought for a moment before getting up from his seat. "Where you going?" I asked. Kinski pointed to where he was going, "Over zere, I 'ave some business to take care of…vont be long," he added. With that, he left me alone at the table. His chair not pushed in, and his plate licked clean with bits of food around it on the table...

...

It took me eight minutes to finish. Kinski came back five minutes later when I was done. We got our coats and left the restraunt without paying. No one protested as we made our way out. Something didn't seem right. The dinner, the dressing up, Kinski acting strange…and the picture…It still just didn't seem right…

We walked along the edges of the casinos, careful not to be seen. Kinski moved in between me and the security men, blocking their view so they couldnt see me. After that, we finally made it out of the festive streets and toward the less crowded Rebel Street. We walked in silence. I couldnt stop thinking of the...what would you call it? Just a nice night out? A date? I felt my stomach twist.

Suddenly we heard noises from behind. "Well, well, who do we have ere?" asked a sly voice. We both turned around and found ourselves face to face with a gang of rats. The leader had one ear torn off, he wore dirty clothes, just like the rest of his members. Kinski moved in front of me. "Git lost ya bastards! you 'ave no idea who yer messin' with!" he snapped angrily. The leader of the rats smirked. "Neither do you..._freak."_ Kinski snarled. My eyes were wide with fear.

All of the sudden, I felt someone grab me from behind. I tried to scream but a hand clamped down on my mouth. Kinski whipped around. His eyes widened. I struggled in the gang member's grasp, but stopped when the barrel of his gun touched the side of my temple. I was too scared to move, I couldnt even change into The Nightmare. Kinski whipped back around. The gang of rats snickered.

The leader grinned, revealing a set of cracked yellow teeth, "So, what's it gonna be? You, or yer girlfriend there?" The leader looked over to me. His grin softened a bit. He stared at me. Without looking, he pulled out a yellowed piece of paper from his back pocket and unfolded it. He looked at the paper, then me. His grin came back. "Well, well, well! How interesting."

Kinski flinched when the leader showed what the paper had on it. A wanted poster with my face on it. "It's the bat girl!" he said. The gang's eyes widened. The gang member who was holding me, ripped the hood from my head. My ears flicked up. The leader smirked. "We've hit the jackpot boys." The gang of rats laughed and whooped.

"You have a real perty face on there with that many zeros under it, huh?" the leader said as he slowly approached me. I flinched. Kinski growled and started to step forward. He stopped when two guns were shoved into his face, he backed up a couple of steps and stopped.

The leader stopped in front of me, his face inches from mine. I looked away from him. My eyes flickered over to Kinski. Kinski's teeth were bared. His hands curled into fists. The rat leader started saying something to me, but I ignored him. Kinski grolwed under his breath. My eyes flickered to the outlaws who had their guns pointed at Kinski's face. The two gunslinger's heads turned to their leader. It was just for a split second, but it was all Kinski needed. Suddenly, at lightning speed, Kinski grabbed the two gunslingers guns out of their hands.

Before the two could blink, Kinski shoved them down, spun the two guns around in his hands, and shot the two. _Bang! Bang!_ The leader of the rats whipped around. He gasped.

Kinski snarled and started to walk toward the leader. Just then, two other gunslingers came up to the hunchback jackrabbit. Kinski kicked the first one coming toward him in the stomach. The gunslinger fell backwards, his gun went off, missing Kinski by inches. The gunslinger knocked into the others. They fell to the ground. Kinski approached the leader. The leader took a couple steps back. He was about to pull his gun out, but Kinski beat him to it. He knocked the leader's gun out of his hand and grabbed him roughly by the shoulders. He spun him around and aimed the gun right at the leader's head. The leader was now his hostage.

"Let her go, now!" Kinski screamed at the outlaw who was keeping me hostage. The leader's face went pale as the barrel of Kinski's gun dug deeper into the rat's temple. Kinski gripped the leader's shoulder tightly. "D-do what he s-says," said the leader. The gang member who had me started to tremble in fear. Kinski bared his teeth. His eyes looked like they were burning. The rat finally let go of me and ran. I collapsed to the ground.

Kinski turned around, still holding the leader and faced the remaining members of the gang. The gang flinched at the sight of Kinski. Their eyes wide with horror. "Git lost!" the hunchback jackrabbit shouted. The gang scrambled to their feet and bolted. Kinski looked down at the leader. The leader trembled in his grasp, "P-please...h-have m-mercy," stuttered the rat. Kinski snarled. He pulled the hammer back on his trigger-

Suddenly, he stopped. Kinski's eyes flickered over to where I sat on the ground. My eyes were wide with fear. The insane, outraged look on his face horrified me. Kinski's face gradually calmed down as he stared at me. Finally, he turned his head back to the leader. He loosened his hold on the outlaw. The outlaw collapsed to the ground. He gasped and coughed, his chest rising and falling. He turned his head and looked up at the hunchback jackrabbit. Kinski glared down at him, his face shadowed, giving him a dark appearance. "Go, and if I see yer ugly-ass face 'ere again, I wont be so generous," Kinski said in a low gruff voice. The leader didn't move. "Go!" Kinski screamed. The rat got to his feet and bolted away. Kinski breathed heavily. His face hidden behind his long, disheveled hair.

Suddenly his head turned toward my direction. I flinched. Kinski slowly walked up to me and stared down. I felt myself shaking as I stared up at him. Finally, he knelt down and helped me up. He carefully placed an arm over my shoulders to somewhat stop me from shaking. When we were around the Rodent family house at the back door, Kinski let go of me. He looked down at his feet. "I...I'm sorry fer vhat happened back zere," he said in a whisper.

I calmed myself down and looked up at him. "It's not your fault... actually, I should be thanking you... for saving me," I said with a small smile. Kinski looked up through his bangs to me. I felt my face turning red. "I...I actually had a fun time," I admitted. Kinski didn't say anything, he kept staring down at me. My wings started to sweat. "...Thank you, for taking me to that place...it was very special," I said. Kinski finally averted his eyes away. He rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah..." was all he said. After a couple seconds of awkward silence, we walked into the hideout, and down the stairs.

We walked into our own rooms and went to bed. I laid on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. Tonight's occurrence continued to repeat in my head. My heart was still pounding. It was scary, but thrilling. For the first time since the Dark Ages, I felt excitement. Kinski showed me how it was to go out and have some fun, while not getting caught. It was the most fun I've had in years. Just then, tears flowed down my face.

Tomorrow...he'll be gone...and I'll never see him again...

* * *

**A/N: In my opinion, I didnt like the "dinner date" part. I don't think it went well with the action scene after, but if you liked it, then ok. This chapter was a tough one to work with, leaving more open gaps and all that, but dont worry, it'll explain itself later. **


	12. Chapter 12: Gasmasks

_The horrible dream continued…_

_-I opened the door and entered into Mr. Blacks little area. Stacks and Stacks of wooden boards piled up to the ceiling, boxes of nails, screws bolts and other metal tools were scattered everywhere, but mostly in their categorized section. A droopy shredded banner hung over the shop reading: Mr. Black, the Undertaker, coffin maker, and funeral organizer. A rack held a couple of saws and hammers. The sound was a bit louder, but the source of the electric hums and static was nowhere to be seen._

_I stopped. Then I went down on my knees and wings and placed my ear to the musty, blood-red rug that covered the floor. The sound was loud. I got up and kicked the rug. It overlapped itself and revealed a trapdoor. I lifted the metal ring and lifted the door. A secret passage. _

_A set of crumbling stone stairs descended down into the basement-like place. I carefully walked down the cold stone steps. The stairs ended and a tunnel started. It was dark, the light from the moon stayed at the top of the stone steps, making me head on into the dark, stretching tunnel alone. The tunnel kept going straight for a couple minutes. I ran my wing along one of the walls. It was ice cold and damp. The tips of my wing wove in and out of cracks and roots that made their way into the dark and dingy tunnel. A cold wind blew into my face. _

_The electric crackles and static sounds echoed through the tunnel. Getting louder and louder. I was getting closer, to wherever this tunnel led to. A dim light was seen up ahead. It was a purple pulsing glow, and blue electric sparks. I kept walking, my legs suddenly slowing down to a hesitation._

_He may be just making a machine to help him with his business, to bury the dead faster or something, The voice said. "But why would it be in a secret underground basement?" I asked myself out loud in a whisper. My legs cooperated again and I continued forward. The scene opened up in front of me and I stopped, frozen in my tracks and gasped in horror. _

_The tunnel opened up to a huge dark room. I looked over the room, illuminated by lanterns and blue electric sparks. Huge black tubes wove in and out of each other and connected to a huge weird looking machine, Sparks and steam hissed and snapped out from the tubes and the machine. From above, I noticed a small window. Shafts of moonlight came pouring down into the laboratory. _

_Mr. Black was there, turning on the machine and flipping up a couple of switches, but that's not why I gasped. To the left of the huge machine were four upright operation tables. Kinski, Chorizo, Stump and Bill's dead bodies were strapped into the vertically positioned operation tables. Their heads down and bodies limp. Patches of dirt and decay covered their bodies. Flies darted around their shadowed faces and heads. Tubes were attached to their arms and foreheads. The moonlight faintly illuminated their lifeless bodies, so I was able to see them clearly. _

_ I turned back to Mr. Black. He pulled a switch. The machine hummed loudly and came to life. The tubes vibrated and pulsed. Squirming like huge black snakes. The machine let off more sparks and steam. Kinski, Chorizo, Stump, and Bill's bodies twitched as the flow of the electric charges pulsed through their decaying rotting bodies. _

_Suddenly the for outlaws came to life in front of me. They jolted and snapped their heads up. Their eyes popped wide open. Thin red veins webbed their lifeless, filmy white eyes. Their hands twitched and cracked. Then they broke free from the straps and jumped off from their operation tables. They lifted their heads and roared. Dirt and bugs fell from their undead bodies. Suddenly, their heads turned and growled at me. Mr. Black turned. He seemed shocked to see me. I walked backwards from where I stood and bolted back the way I came from. _

_I ran back down the passageway as fast as my legs could carry me. Suddenly I heard a noise. When I turned my head, I noticed the gunslinger zombies advancing toward me. They roared and snapped. Their white eyes, with a hint of green, glowed in the dark. I suddenly tripped and fell. "No!" I screamed as I went down. My wings screamed in pain as they scraped the hard stone ground. I winced and cradled my wings. I looked up and gasped. Kinski, Stump, Chorizo, and Bill were advancing on me. They roared and groaned loudly. Glow in the dark eyes, wide and lifeless. They lunged their bodies forward. I screamed. The outlaw zombies were flung backwards through the air and skidded along the hard ground. Rotting, grotesque flesh scraped and peeled. Blood splattered the walls. _

_The zombies screamed in agony. Thrashing their arms and legs around violently. I quickly got up and kept running through the tunnel, up the stairs, and out of Mr. Black's workshop. I quickly closed the trapdoor and placed a heavy load of wooden boards and two buckets of nails, hoping it would hold the zombies. Suddenly the wooden boards jolted. I heard angry moaning on the other side. I bolted down the street, the sounds of banging repeating in my head-_

I gasped and sat bolt upright. I held my head and breathed heavily. The banging sounds repeated in my head. Gradually, I slowly realized that the sounds weren't coming from my head. Suddenly I heard the sound of a door being knocked off of its' hinges and crashing to the floor; then the sounds of screaming. I quickly opened my eyes and jumped out of bed. Kinski came out of his room as well, rubbing the sleep out of his tired eyes. He wore his gunslinger clothes.

"What's goin' on?" he asked. "I don't-" I started, then saw Priscilla running down the tunnel, screaming at the top of her lungs, behind her was Ricochet, Stub, Buford, Elgin, Waffles, Beans, Mr. Furgus, and Crispin. Ricochet and Stub started to fall behind. They struggled to keep going. Suddenly they collapsed. Green gas appeared around them. _Poisonous gas, _my mind instantly said.

"What's going on?!" I screamed, starting to panic. Priscilla stopped in front of me. She looked up at me with huge wet eyes. "Bill's security guards have found our hideout! And now they are destroying the place!" she screamed. I looked up at the posse and they nodded.

"They are using fumes to knock us out," explained Buford. I turned to Ricochet's and Stub's visible fallen bodies and sighed with relief. Happy that they weren't poisoned. Kinski quickly ran back into his room and then came back. In his arms, he held his firework. He quickly shoved it into his left pocket.

All of the sudden, a group of security guards came from around the corner, they all wore gas masks and had gas tanks strapped to their backs. A long tube came out and at the end was a long thin metal tip, which I'm guessing was used to make the gas go farther distances.

Two noticed Stub's and Ricochets fallen bodies right where they stood and picked their limp bodies up. One guard turned his gas mask head and spotted us. He pointed at us. "There!" he yelled to the others.

Our instincts kicked in and we all ran down the opposite direction. The security guard, who spotted us, pointed to five men. "Get them! No one escapes!" he yelled. The chosen security guards obeyed and chased after us. We ran around through the twisting tunnels.

"We have to get to the emergency exits!" yelled Elgin. "I know, but-" I started. Suddenly we stopped. The tunnel was caved in. We were trapped. We spun around and heard the men coming closer.

I racked my brain, trying to think of a way out. Then it hit me. I turned to Kinski, who was shaking, he stopped and looked down at me. "What?" he asked. I quickly pointed to the wall next to us. I remembered back when he dug a hole to get into my room yesterday.

"Dig!" I said. Kinski looked at me for a moment, then got what I was asking. He squatted down next to the wall that was close to me and started pawing at the dirt. The others looked at Kinski and then at me. "What is he doing?" asked Crispin. Then Kinski started to dig faster and in seconds, was already digging five feet into the wall.

"He's making us a short cut," I said. Suddenly the security men finally turned the corner and saw us. Trapped. The posse froze in terror. The security men got their tanks ready and turned them on. Long thin streams of green gas poured at jet speed toward us. I quickly turned to the Kinski tunnel and crawled in.

"Come on!" I yelled at the remaining posse. The posse snapped out of their state of shock and crawled through the little tunnel after me. The tunnel was a little tight, but I was still able to move. It was also a bit moist. My wings were already getting dirty and muddy.

I could hear Kinski ten feet in front of me, digging away with no problem at all. I instantly thought how it would've been so much easier if Kinski was with us in the beginning, back when the rebels and I were digging the tunnels. It would've taken him three months, instead of three years. Suddenly, I heard Kinski stop digging. I started to panic and crawled faster. "Kinski?" I called. Silence. Suddenly I heard a scream behind me. "What's going on?" I called back. "Move faster! They're gassing the tunnel!" screamed Priscilla.

I turned my head back to the front and crawled the rest of the way. At the end of the tunnel, I saw light. I wiggled the rest of the way and then fell halfway out. Kinski grabbed my wing and pulled me the rest of the way out. We were now on the other side near the meeting Room.

I stood up and shook the dirt out of my hair and ears. I coughed up some dirt and ruffled my shirt out. Loose soils of dirt piled out. I turned to Kinski, who was covered from head to foot in dirt. He shook his head and pounds of wet desert soils fell from his droopy ears and hair. I looked down at his hands, which were caked with mud and blood. Suddenly, we noticed Priscilla, struggling out of the tunnel. Kinski and I helped her out and to her feet. She was also caked in mud. Buford, Elgin, and Beans made it out. The others were knocked out in the small tunnel. Gas seeped out from Kinski's rabbit tunnel. We coughed and held our breaths.

Suddenly a loud explosion went off down the tunnel to our right. Priscilla screamed. We all fell to the ground from the impact. I pressed my wings close to my ears, wincing and groaning in pain. The whole place shook and I felt dirt being thrown on top of me. Gradually the strange quake stopped, and the dust settled. We all opened our eyes. All six of us cautiously lifted our heads and got up. We turned and saw a different group of security guards with gas masks, throwing dynamite down a different tunnel and watching the tunnel cave in on itself. They noticed us and started to approach us.

With no second thought, we turned and bolted down the tunnel, away from the creepy security guards. The security men shot jets of gas from their tanks. We ran from the gaining gas. Priscilla tripped and fell. "Priscilla! I screamed and turned around. Beans grabbed my wing. "No, its too late!" she yelled at me. I struggled in Beans' grasp. Then Elgin gripped my shoulders tightly and pushed me toward the exit. I could hear Priscilla screaming as she tried getting up. Then she stopped screaming, crumpled to the floor and passed out.

We kept running. We turned the corner and stopped. The emergency exit ladder, just thirty feet away. We turned our heads and saw the gas still gaining on us. Then we looked back and bolted toward the exit. Kinski and I were in the front. I looked over my shoulder and saw the gas right behind Buford, Beans and Elgin. They coughed and started to lose speed. "No!" I screamed.

Buford and Elgin collapsed to their knees. Beans clutched her throat. She looked up at us and waved for us to go on. "Go! (cough! Cough!) go on with out us!" she screamed then collapsed to her knees, gasping and coughing. I started to slow down and hesitate.

Suddenly, I felt Kinski grab my wing. He pulled me to the where the ladder started. The ladder was made of thin rusting metal. It went up to the surface world. "Come on!" he screamed. I quickly glanced over at the three rebels before I climbed the ladder. Kinski followed right behind me. I lifted the trapdoor up and lifted myself out. Kinski came out and we both closed the trapdoor, right when the gas was about to come up from the hole.

We both tumbled out from where the emergency exit was located: under the outhouse out of an empty, old medicine bottle. Kinski was on all fours in the middle of Rebel Street, panting and gasping. I had my wings on my knees. Suddenly, we heard shouts and the sounds of footsteps.

We looked around to see if any other of Bill's men were after us. I panted heavily. Kinski heaved and had his hands on his knees. Kinski's breathing slowed and he straightened up. I kept turning my head right and left frantically. "We… should…find…a place…to hide…" I said. Kinski didn't answer. I heard him come up from behind me, but I was too busy to notice. Suddenly his hand shot quickly in front of my face. He placed a piece of white cloth over my mouth and nose. I gasped and struggled in his grasp. Kinski waited till I went limp and fell into his arms. His head lowered next to one of my ears.

"The rebels vere right about not trusting me…" Kinski whispered.

The world was spinning. I groaned and turned my head up, as Kinski loomed over me. _What? Why? He? _I asked myself in my head. Nothing made any sense any more. Kinski stared down at me. He carefully set me down, the rag still over my mouth and nose. I was forced to breath in the fumes. Finally, my eyes rolled up to the back of my head and everything went black...


	13. Chapter 13: Toxic

**Chapter 13! yay! hope everyone is enjoying the story! :)**

...

The darkness faded away. I groaned in pain. My brain was scrambled and confused. I didn't know what was going on. My ears twitched and swivelled. Listening. My brain slowly focused and then I heard muffled voices. I slowly opened my eyes and found myself on the ground.

I wore a strange looking collar around my neck. It hummed and pulsed with energy. I looked around and found myself back in Bill's stupid hotel where the banquet, fireplace and double doors were. I was next to the double doors. Then I noticed Kinski, Chorizo, Stump and Bill looking down at me. Bill had his knife out and was cleaning the dirt out from underneath his claws.

"Hello again, Miss Banshee," said Bill looking up from his knife. He grinned. I glared at him, then I moved my eyes over to Kinski. He wore a nice grey suit and hat, just like Stump and Chorizo.

"You traitor!" I snapped at him. I regained myself and got up. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Chorizo, smirking. I stopped myself before I screamed at the hunchback. "That collar around yer neck will shock you if you try to transform or scream at any of us," explained Bill looking back down at his knife and claws.

I glared at them, then I decided to look around for an escape. The window I shattered before was barricaded. Shafts of sunlight came pouring out from the cracks in the rotting boards, and Bill, Stump, Chorizo, and Kinski were somewhat blocking the double doors to my right. The fireplace was alive and burning, so I couldn't escape through the fireplace either.

I huffed angrily and gave up. Then something caught my eye. I turned and noticed their guns. For the first time, I gave the guns one good look. All four were identical. They all had designs decorated in gold and had long silver and black barrels. Then it all became clear. I glared up at Kinski.

"Your gun, it looks just like Bill, Stump, and Chorizo's. When you showed your gun at the guy who worked at the Blue Night Club and the people who worked at the Red Flame, they recognized your gun. It meant that you are one of Bill's top men, that's why the people who worked there feared you," I said. Kinski slowly nodded. I continued.

"And you knew the Red Flame since you've been there!" I heard myself raising my voice in rage as it all unfolded before me. Kinski nodded again. "Jes. I should know it. It's mine. I own it. Bill let us create our own nightclubs or restraunts…" Kinski said in a small voice. I gasped. I couldn't believe it. He _owned_ the damn place?! The gang laughed, except Kinski.

"So, it was all a set up, all a plan from the very beginning!" I shouted. Suddenly I felt a strange vibration course through my neck. I winced in pain. The gang members exchanged glances and burst out laughing. I instantly felt the tips of my ears burn in embarrassment. The gang gradually stopped laughing at my stupidity and grinned down at me. Bill smiled and pocketed his knife and pulled out a cigar. Kinski struck a match for him and lit it. Bill nodded a silent thanks and placed the cigar into his mouth.

"Yep, it was a set up from the very beginning, Kinski was our inside man," he explained. Chorizo and Stump laughed evilly and slapped Kinski on the shoulder. Kinski just smiled a small smile, but his eyes flickered guilt and pain.

I felt my face burn. "You needed to know where the others were. Of course you needed me as your secret weapon when you found out I was the Nightmare, but you feared the rebels. When they finally came out of hiding to conquer your rein. The sleepless nights would be no more once you knew you had control over everyone and everything in the palm of your hand!" I let out all in one taking. I took a deep breath, then glared at Bill.

Bill took out the cigar from his mouth and grinned a proper grin. "Yep, that just about sums it all up, right boys?" he asked over his shoulder. The gang laughed. I felt my organs twisting and shrinking. Stump and Chorizo exchanged evil glances and then turned back to me.

"Also to add, the card game, at that one casino when you tripped that porcupine fellow to drench us in order to steal the keys to their shackles," said Stump. Chorizo's eyes flickered red at the mention of being drenched. "I hated that!" he growled. Stump continued, "We knew you were gonna try an' rescue Skrewhead and Stubby…_And_, just to remind ya, you can't pickpocket The Pick-Pocketing King," Stump said grinning as he straightened up and pulled the front of his jacket in a proud manner.

Something still boggled my mind. I jerked my head over to Bill. I growled, "Then why did you make me believe Kinski was your prisoner? And where was he _really?_" I asked, then turned my glare over to the hunchback jackrabbit. Kinski jolted when I turned to him. Bill kept grinning, "I'm so glad you asked, miss," he said, which made my skin crawl and wanted me to throw up. Then Bill slowly walked around his gang, and me.

"When we found out you were the Nightmare, we wanted to see how the transformation _worked_," said Bill. "And what better way to test it on was your feelings towards hunchback boy," laughed Bill, coming back to where his gang stood and clapped a hand on Kinski's shoulder. I gasped and felt sick inside. Bill, Stump and Chorizo threw their heads back and laughed manically. Kinski was the only one who didn't laugh. After the three quieted down, Kinski told his side of the story.

"I stayed inside 'ere ze past years, drinking alcohol. I knew zat if you saw me outside one day, you vould instantly figure out zat…." he faltered. "Zat I vas on Bill's side... Bill saw somezing out of zis and thought up a plan," Kinski moved away from Bill and the others, and walked along the edge of the banquet table to me. He stopped in front of me.

"He told me 'is plan, and vhat my part vas to be, in order to convince you zat he vas keeping me as 'is prisoner," Kinski paused for a moment, as if he was having second thoughts on something. He shook his head and continued. "All I 'ad to do zen vas send ze info to Bill on vhere you rebels were located, and zen in just a couple of hours, he would…" Kinski faltered. He couldn't seem to say it. Bill eyed him suspiciously, but then shrugged and continued smoking his cigar.

I narrowed my eyes at him angrily. "For what? What was in it for you?" I asked, careful to not make the collar go off, but enough to show how mad I was at him. Kinski averted his eyes away from me. He didn't answer.

"What was in it for you?" I asked again. Kinski's hump was turned to me, his head low. He still wouldn't answer me. I gritted my teeth angrily. "What was in it for you?!" I screamed. Instantly, the collar went off, making me twist and jerk in pain. I winced and groaned, but controlled myself not to struggle. Kinski finally twisted around.

"You should know! Vhat I have always wanted! To be normal!" he screamed. I went quiet. Kinski growled and continued, "All my life, I 'ave been made fun of or mistreated just because I vas different! No one cares for me! And Bill said zat if I succeeded in capturing you and finding out vhere ze Rebel Hideout vas, he said he would find a professional surgeon for me to remove zis monstrosity!" he shouted and gestured to his hump. Kinski breathed heavily and had his clawed formed hands close to his face, as if something inside him was screaming out of control and wanted out. Kinski swallowed and took short breaths to calm down.

My eyes widened. Kinski gruffed angrily. Then he turned his head to the banquet table and saw a glass of red wine sitting at the edge. He walked around Bill, Stump, and Chorizo over to the banquet table and retrieved the glass. I narrowed my eyes. "What about Petunia?" I asked. Kinski turned to me and blinked, "...Vhat about 'er?" he asked gruffly.

I bared my teeth and felt my transformation start, but the rising vibration of the shock collar forced me to calm down. "You know Petunia. She cared for you, and didn't see you as a monster, she liked your hump," I said. Kinski's eyes flickered with guilt and shock. Stump, Bill and Chorizo turned their heads over to the frozen hunchback jackrabbit. They raised their eyebrows at him.

"This true, boy?" asked Bill. Kinski jerked his head to them. "N-no! of c-course not!" he spluttered, then he slowly turned his head to me in a ticked off manner. I ran my tongue over my fang and glared back at him.

Kinski just stood there, staring down at me in total shock with nothing to say. I continued, "Everyone in the whole world thinks that they aren't perfect, because of their flaws…but it's the flaws that give them character, and it's the flaws that make others love you…you are unique. You don't know it, but you are surrounded by people who love you the way you are…" I said and looked down at my lap. _Kinski felt the tips of his ears grow hot. His face felt warm and his stomach twisted. The wine glass felt cold in his furry hands. _

_Yes, Banshee was right. Somehow, she was right. Throughout his whole life, he has just concentrated only on the people who hated his flaws. Now he sees it. Everyone who has never cared for his flaws and accept him for that, and Petunia and Banshee…their reaction was different then the others…in a way that was new to Kinski: Being loved. _

Kinski snapped out of his thoughts and turned to his friends. They were still staring at him in disbelief, then they exchanged glances with each other. Kinski instantly felt horrible inside. Embarrassed. Guilty. Enraged.

Kinski quickly turned back and looked down at his drink. I glared at him in disgust. As I watched Kinski take a sip from the glass, something didn't feel right to me. Bill, Stump and Chorizo have stopped exchanging looks and have just noticed Kinski with the glass. "No!" yelled Stump and Chorizo at the same time.

Suddenly, Kinski's eyes widen. He placed the glass back down on the table. He clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground. Stump and Chorizo jumped away from Kinski's body. Then Kinski started to writhe and twist in pain. Mixed feelings went through me. "What's going on with him?" I asked Bill. Bill looked down at Kinski calmly. "He has just been poisoned," he said in a calm tone. I started to panic.

_So I was right all along! the food and drinks were poisoned! _"Not all the food was poisoned," said Bill as if he knew what I was thinking. "Only certain types of foods were poisoned, provided by yers truly," said Bill grinning as he gestured to himself and gave a slight bow. Then I saw a dark purple liquid seep through his teeth and down his lips.

"Now, back to our conversation from earlier. You join me, and I will give you the antidote to save Kinski's life," said Bill in an amused tone. Then from his vest pocket, he pulled out a small glass vial of a light green clear liquid. My eyes widened. _Did Bill know about this all along? He knew Kinski was going to get poisoned? Or was this all part of the act?_ I turned to Kinski. Kinski was screaming in pain and continued to jolt on the ground violently. _He didn't seem like he was faking_. "How do I know if that's the antidote?" I asked, turning back to Bill.

Bill smiled and then picked up the drink Kinski drank from. He then walked over to a plant and poured the wine into the pot. Instantly, the plant started to shrivel and die right before my eyes. Its' leaves quickly changed from green, to brown. Then Bill uncorked the bottle and poured a small dose of the green liquid into the pot. The plant stopped dying and slowly formed back to its original healthy green color.

I looked down at Kinski. He screamed some more and clutched his throat tightly. His mouth started to foam. His legs kicked the air and stomped against the floor. Half of me wanted him to die, but the other half couldn't stand him suffering like this. Suddenly, the hunchback jackrabbit stopped moving. I gasped then turned back to Bill. "All right I'll be your secret weapon! Give me the antidote!" I screamed impatiently.

Bill grinned. _He knew that Banshee couldn't let anyone or anything die. She was a good bat, not a cold, heartless killer. _Bill tossed me the antidote. I caught the vial in my wings and fell to my knees next to Kinski's body. I helped Kinski up a bit, resting the top half of his twisted body onto my lap. I slowly lifted his head up and poured the rest of the antidote down his throat. Nothing happened. My throat tightened. I hesitated, then shifted and placed one of my ears against his chest. Nothing…

Then I heard a couple of small, faint heartbeats. Gradually, the antidote flowed through his blood and his heart started beating again. Kinski gasped for air and coughed back to life. I moved away from him and let him sit upright. He breathed heavily and coughed some more. Then I felt Stump and Chorizo's rough hands grab my wings and pull me to my feet. I didn't bother to fight them.

Kinski blinked and clutched his chest. Realizing he was alive. Then he turned his head and looked up at me in bewilderment. "Y-you saved me? I-I…" he spluttered in shock. I glared down at him. "After all I've done for you…I now see why the rebels wanted to kill you, once a bad guy, always a bad guy…I wish I never met you, _hunchback_," I said bitterly.

Kinski gasped. His huge, child like eyes widened. He stared up at me full of hurt. His mouth opened slightly but no words came out. His expression of hurt brought tears to my eyes. "Take her away," demanded Bill to Stump and Chorizo. They obeyed and led me through the double doors. I hung my head. I have lost. The Rebels have lost. Bill has finally won…

* * *

_Kinski watched as Banshee was led out of the room through the double doors and was gone. Kinski lowered his head and looked down at the ground. Pain, guilt, and hurt sliced through him. Then he felt a hand touch his shoulder. _

_He looked up and saw Bill looking down at him. "Don't worry about 'er, she wasn't your type anyway. Women are nothing' but trouble, so just get over 'er… and change out of those clothes, ya got wine stains all over it," said Bill gruffly. Then Bill walked away. Kinski hesitated. Mixed emotions flowing through him: _Banshee cared for him…and risked everything for him.

Now, when she found out that he betrayed her, she still saved his life…_Kinski shook the thoughts from his head. No, he was alive, that's all that mattered. Kinski nodded and got up, but something in his chest tightened. He staggered. A voice. A small voice. the small voice he always heard after the loud, evil voice, called in his head: _Banshee cared for you…she saved your life…

_Kinski breathed heavily. The small voice in his head came back, louder, brighter, and stronger. He gripped the sides of his head. _Banshee cared for you…She saved your life…_"Shut up!" he screamed, swaying his head from side to side. The voice ignored him. Then the voice multiplied, being heard with twenty more voices, repeating over and over in his head: _Banshee cared for you…she saved your life…Banshee cared for you…she saved your life…Banshee- _"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" he screamed again and staggered over to the nearest wall and started banging his head against it. "Shut up! I don't care!" he screamed. _

_Suddenly, the voices were gone, Kinski stopped and fell to his knees. He panted heavily. His chest rising and falling. He gingerly rubbed his head. He lifted his left hand away from his head and looked at it. A couple drops of blood stained his fingertips. Kinski rubbed the ends of his fingertips together, watching the blood seep deeper into his fur and spread. He wiped his blood tipped hand on his pant leg and slowly rose to his feet. He took a couple of deep breaths. He fished out his jacks and fumbled with them, calming himself down. _

_Then he walked out of the room. The voices were gone from his head, but the pains were still there. Not his usual pains, his guilty pains. The pains he couldn't get rid of, the pains that would continue to eat away at him. Kinski swallowed and licked his lips as he walked down the long hallway of huge paintings, trying to take his mind off of the pains, running one of his hands along the stretching yawning walls…_

* * *

**I hope I didnt miss anything else, and the chapter answered everything. If there are any mistakes or spelling problems that I might have missed, I apologize. If you have any questions, just PM me or leave a comment. :) **


	14. Chapter 14: Making Things Right

_At the rooftop of Bill's Hotel/palace…_

_Kinski sat at the little tiki hut bar, thinking about Banshee. He sighed sadly as he lazily rotated the little pink umbrella in his tall glass, still filled to the top with ice cold alcohol. He watched the ice cubes and alcohol slowly swirl in the glass. Deep in thought. His stomach twisted into thick knots. _

_Banshee cared for him…and risked everything for him. Now, when she found out that he betrayed her, she still saved his life, and that was an act he could never repay… _

_Suddenly something bounced off of his head. Kinski snapped out of his deep thoughts and swivelled around in his chair. Chorizo waved at him from the pool, on the other side were a couple of girls in bikinis, waiting for Chorizo to retrieve the ball. The shrew wore a blue and green patterned pair of swim trunks. Then he swam over to the edge of the pool and retrieved the beach ball he threw at Kinski. "Hey Kinski! Come in, the _aguas' grande!" _he said in his Spanish accent. Kinski let Chorizo's words sink in till he understand what the shrew was talking about. _

"_Uh…no thanks Cho. I don't feel like getting wet," Kinski said. Then Stump came along in his red and white striped old fashion swim suit, a shirt and shorts connected together. He held a paper plate with a hotdog in a bun smothered in ketchup and mustard. "Oh come on Kinski, go in…or I'll push you in," threatened Stump with a huge grin. Kinski gave him a look and turned back to the bar. _

_Bill sat in a lounge chair, basking in the sun. He lifted his sunglasses up and looked at Kinski suspiciously. "What's wrong, boy? You don't seem like yerself, yer usually the wild one, the thing of the party," he said. Kinski raised his shoulders up. Not saying anything. Bill continued, "Ya haven't even touched yer drink, usually its gone in seconds," Bill pointed out again. _

_Kinski blinked, his eyes shifted. Obviously, there _was_ something wrong with him, and he knew what it was, but he couldn't show that to the guys. The guilt pains were eating him alive, and it was driving him even more insane. He had to think of a plan, an excuse to leave the beach themed rooftop and clear his head, and figure out what to do after that. _

_Kinski turned to the pool and then to Stump, who sat on his lounge chair, eating his hotdog. Next to the stumpy jackrabbit were his bundled up gangster clothes. The plan instantly unfolded before him. He grinned and looked back at his drink. With that, he raised his glass, and showed it to Bill. _

"_Cheers," he said with a fake smile and chugged it down. He sets the empty glass down and he got up out of his chair. Kinski came up along the edge of the pool, his long feet hanging over the edge of the pool. He clasped his hands behind his back and bended down a bit in a innocent, curious way. "Is ze pool varm?" he asked Chorizo. _

_Chorizo grinned, "_Si, mucho _warm," he said. Kinski waited for the words to sink in before he understood what the shrew said. He unclasped his left hand from behind his twisted back. He bent down low and tested the water for himself, flicking the water with his fingertips. Then he straightened back up. He glanced back over to Chorizo, who was grinning, his eyes flickering behind Kinski. Kinski could feel Stump's presence, but didn't turn around. _

_The hunchback jackrabbit fought back a smile and continued. "Eh, iz not ze kind of varm vater I'm-" Kinski started, but then felt himself shoved forward. His arms instantly went in front of him. He turned his head, just in time to see Stump. "Aw shut yer gob!" laughed the stumpy jackrabbit. Kinski made contact with the water and fell in with a huge splash. Chorizo, Bill, and the girls laughed. _

_Kinski came up spluttering and soaking wet. His business suit was soaked and gently swayed around him by the movements of the water. He glared at Stump, laughing above him. "Bastard! I'll get you fer zat!" he snapped and splashed water in Stump's direction. Stump quickly moved away and stuck his tongue out. Kinski swam to the edge of the pool and lifted himself out. His clothes weighed him down and dripped. He tried grabbing Stump. _

_Stump dodged Kinski's hands and kept laughing. Finally, Kinski lunged at the stumpy jackrabbit and they both fell in the pool. Chorizo and the girls moved away and laughed when Kinski and Stump came up, fighting. They splashed at each others faces. Kinski got Stump in a headlock and shoved him under. _

_Stump jabbed Kinski in the stomach with his elbow, making the hunchback jackrabbit gasp in pain and let go. Stump quickly bobbed to the surface, panting. Kinski smirked and splashed him with water a couple of times before he got out. He shook his head and twisted his wet drooping ears, ringing them out. _

"_Where ya goin?" asked Stump panting and smiling. Kinski took off his soaked black coat, underneath was a white longsleeve shirt. Kinski rung out his coat, making a huge puddle on the cement. "I gotta change out my clothes, thanks to you…job vell done," he said in a playful mock, and a sarcastic clap, smirking. Stump grinned and saluted "Yer welcome," he laughed, and swam over to where Chorizo and the girls were tossing the beach ball around. _

_Kinski dropped his wet coat on an empty lounge chair and peeked around the tiki hut to the other side where Bill laid in his lounge chair. The Gila Monster was asleep. Kinski turned back and walked along the other lounge chairs on the other side of the tiki hut. He approached Stump's pile of gangster clothes and fumbled through the pockets till he found what he was looking for: the key to unlock Banshee's shock collar. _

_ Kinski stared down at the multi used card key. The pains were still killing him, but it was the only way to make the guilt pains go away…and to set things right. _

_He shifted his head back to the adults in the pool. They didn't notice him as they continued playing with the beach ball. Kinski grinned and left the beach themed party. He entered into the elevator and pushed the buttons to where his room was. The elevator hummed and took him to his room, where he changed back into his normal gunslinger clothes. He spotted his firework on his bed and grabbed it. Then he made his way down to the dungeons…_

* * *

_A half an hour before and during the party…_

"Home sweet home, _sinorita _Pointy Ears," said Chorizo laughing as Stump shoved me into one of the cold, empty cells under Bill's palace. I fell on my wings and knees. I screeched in pain. Suddenly a high charge of energy coursed through me. I flinched and jerked wildly on the ground. When the volts of shock stopped I laid their on the ground, heaving and gasping for air. Stump and Chorizo laughed at my pain and then locked up the cell door and left me in the cold, darkness.

I curled up into a ball. My stomach churning inside. My throat tightening and tears pouring out from my eyes. Thinking about Kinski. I tried shaking the image out of my head, but it was stuck. His hurt face, still printed on my brain. He was a traitor. A traitor with Bill, Stump, and Chorizo. Horrible people, and he belonged with them. He was one of them. I wiped my tears with the back of my sleeve. Then I looked around the room. Alone…or was I? My ears flicked to the faint breathing sounds across the cold room.

"Who's there?" I called.

Silence.

"Come out! I know you're there!" I shouted. Then I heard the thing on the other side shift uncomfortably. I squinted into the darkness, but still couldn't see what it was. I heard more shifting. "Speak! Or I'll make you!" I shouted, but fear, was heard in my voice. I heard more shifting. Then a soft voice answered, "You wouldn't hurt an old friend…would you?" asked the familiar voice. I squinted in the darkness, "Your voice…no, it couldn't be…" I said, slowly realizing it.

A shaft of sunlight from the high small barred window separated us from each other. "C-come into the l-light," I asked in a shaky voice. I had to see to believe what I just heard. More shifting sounds followed, then the figure came forward and the sunlight bathed over the figure and I could see him more clearly.

It was Rango.

I couldn't believe it. No, I couldn't. He died five years ago! He couldn't be alive! "Rango!" I gasped. It was Rango all right, but…it wasn't. It was a zombie. That was the only name I could give him. Rango was part of the undead. His dead skin was peeling and rotting away. Flies crawled in and out of his grotesque rotting flesh. His clothes were ripped and dirty. Blood stains and insect holes.

He limped toward me, "Banshee," he said. I took a step back from him and stopped. "W-what happened to you? You died!" I said, I was frozen to my spot. Rango sighed sadly, his withered bones cracked and a couple of scales fell from his face. "Yes…I did," he admitted, "but, you and the citizens of Dirt didn't see what happened _after_ Bill shot me," continued the undead sheriff. "You see, when Mr. Black carried my deceased body to his workshop, he…brought me back to life," he said.

I gapped. An instant memory came to my head. My nightmare. _The nightmare I had five years ago, when Bill, Stump, Chorizo, and Kinski became zombies, so Mr. Black could make the dead live again! But did that mean Kinski, Chorizo, Bill and Stump were zombies as well? That didn't make any sense. Maybe it was a vision…or a warning…or a mixed up prophecy…_ "Are Bill and his gang the undead?" I asked. Rango looked up at me. "How do you know about that?" he asked me. I told him about my dream.

When I was finished, Rango rubbed his chin, then he snapped his fingers, causing one of them to snap off. He quickly retrieved his finger from the ground and snapped it back on. "Mr. Black wiped your memory, he wiped everyone's memory, and made us all think it was just a horrible nightmare, I don't really remember _my _zombie nightmare, but I know it happened," Rango said. I let Rango's words sink in. _So, they were zombies, but how come they weren't craving for brains or losing limbs? _That still puzzled me, but then I turned to Rango, who was scratching the side of his head and picking out bugs.

I came closer to Rango. "How did Bill find out?" I asked. Rango picked at a loose piece of dead skin off him and flicked it to his right. "How did Bill find out what?" he asked. "How did Bill find out when you became a zombie?" I asked. Rango hesitated before he answered, trying to remember.

"It was… when the citizens of Dirt were building his …hotel. Him and a couple of his men were rampaging the buildings. He discovered Mr. Black's secret laboratory…I think he sort of knew where it was… and found Mr. Black just bringing me back to life. Bill captured both of us and took everything from the lab to his place. Bill tried killing me again, but it was no use. I was unable to die…undead,"

Rango paused for a moment. He stared down at the floor, then looked back up at me and continued. "So, he decided to just keep me in his dungeon, so the citizens of Dirt would believe I died and not have anything to believe in," said Rango sadly. I looked down sadly as well. _The Dark Ages was a horrible time to live through. All of our beliefs and hopes lost_. Then something popped into my head. I looked up at Rango who was still looking down, pieces of his face peeled off.

"What happened to Mr. Black?" I asked. Rango looked up, "Mr. Black is a prisoner in a secret laboratory prison, somewhere in the hotel," said Zombie Rango, "and Bill is forcing him to be able to discover the secret of immortality. Since Mr. Black succeeded in making me come to life, he now wants Mr. Black to make _him _be able to live forever, and possibly to control the undead," said Rango. I gasped. _Then Bill would be invincible. Man, that Gila Monster has thought of everything. _

We were quiet for a while, as our thoughts formed and morphed in our heads how Bill's plan was baffling, insane, and brilliant all at once. _How did Bill come up with this one huge plan? His plan always seemed to be _two _steps ahead of time itself. Its like he knows how it'll all turn out, even before it happened. How was that possible? _

Suddenly, I heard footsteps outside the cell. Rango and I froze where we stood. The footsteps became louder and closer. Then they stopped at the cell door. I heard a small sound…like a match being struck. Then I heard a strange hissing sound…

I gasped and pulled Rango toward the farthest ends of the cell door. "What? What is it?" asked Rango. Before I could answer, a huge explosion erupted. Fire and red flares lit up the dark, dingy dungeon. A series of snaps and clapping sounds crackled loudly. It nearly deafened me. Rango and I fell to the cold stone floor.

Suddenly, the crazy red explosion made a high pitch noise, cross between a whistle and a shriek. I screamed in pain as my shock collar went off. "Banshee!" yelped Rango, he started to panic, not sure what to do. I struggled and jerked on the ground violently. The collar thought that I screamed and now was giving me a dose of shock therapy. I tried ripping it off my neck but it was no use.

Suddenly I felt a hand touch me. I ignored it and continued struggling with my collar. I felt something slide into the side of my collar and click. Instantly, the collar loosened around my neck and fell apart. I gasped and heaved on the cold floor.

My body shook all over. Tears formed at the brim of my eyes. I felt myself slowly lifted up to sit upright and a pair of arms wrapped around me. "I'm sorry," I heard the person say in a low voice. My body trembled and more tears came down my eyes. I blinked. Trying to stop the tears from blurring my vision. My vision finally cleared and I looked up to see who my savior was... It was Kinski.

"Y-you!" my voice trembled. I pushed away from him and quickly got up. I collapsed, but still dragged myself away from him. _What was he doing here? How did he get in? _My thoughts kept screaming furiously in my head. I turned to the cell door. The door was gone. Completely destroyed beyond repair. The crazy display was gone. Little flames flickered around the edges of the door frame.

Then I turned to Kinski who wore his normal baggy long shirt and pants over his orange coverall instead of his "civilized suit." In his left hand, he held the key that was to my shock collar. "We gotta hurry," Kinski said. I turned back to the door. "Y-you… used your firework?" I asked, realizing how he blew up the cell door. It shocked me that he would use it to get me and Rango out, he loved that thing.

Kinski nodded, "yeah, and ze key to yer fancy collar, but ve must get out of 'ere now," the hunchback jackrabbit said impatiently. I saw Rango already out the door. He stopped and turned to us. Motioning me to hurry.

I turned my head back to Kinski and narrowed my eyes at him. "You betrayed me!" I said angrily. I felt my other self, the wild side, The Nightmare. Itching to transform. I wanted to transform, so I could kill Kinski, but instead, I bit my tongue and strained to keep from transforming. Kinski noticed flickers of my transformation and gulped nervously.

Kinski lowered his head, "...yes," he said quietly. I growled, my fangs jut out. "So why should I trust you now?!" I said bitterly, still sitting on the cold hard floor. It was hard for me to calm down. I started to grow taller. I loomed over the traitor.

Kinski didn't say a thing. Then he slowly reached down into his pocket and pulled out a piece of cloth. His hand shook nervously in the process. I looked down at it. It was a shredded piece of my shirt, but what it showed clearly was my symbol. Kinski looked up at me. "I am your friend…I am on your side," he said.

"My symbol?" I asked, suddenly, the powerful struggle with my transforming suddenly ceased. I went back to my normal size and stared down in shock at the piece of material.

Kinski nodded. I looked down at it. I instantly remembered Kinski picking something up when we came back from Gerald's stand. The shredded remains of my clothes from when I transformed into The Nightmare. _So that's what he picked up from the street, _I thought, _…but why? Why was he showing it to me? _

Then I remembered back when Kinski and I sat outside the rebel home, waiting for his clothes to dry. We talked about my symbol. He asked me about it, and I had no idea what it meant, but…what did it mean now? What was he making it mean? What did he mean? Did he mean he was against Bill, Stump and Chorizo? The guys he was with for almost his whole life? He wouldn't go against them.

Something in his voice made me want to believe him. It was how he used my unknown symbol. I don't know what the symbol means, but to him…it meant trust. It meant to trust him.

I looked back up at Kinski and rose. He straightened up as well and looked down at me. "I'm trying to make things right again," he said. I averted my eyes away from him. I couldn't look at him and believe what he was saying was true. I moved my eyes over to Rango, who was still at the door, watching our conversation. He jolted when he saw me looking at him. He looked over to Kinski. _I knew he wouldn't believe Kinski, but after seeing him use the firework to let us go, he was convinced that Kinski was on our side. _Instantly, Rango nodded, saying it was ok to believe the hunchback jackrabbit…for now.

I looked back to Kinski. Kinski stared right back at me. I was horrible at looking at someone straight in the eye for more then three seconds, but something in his eyes made mine lock. We stared at each other for a minute, but to me it seemed like hours. I searched his eyes as Kinski searched mine. Kinski's eyes were full of guilt and pain. Something was different about Kinski's eyes this time. I remembered how he looked at me back at The Red Flame, this time, his eyes were different. Something that was hard to see at first, but if you stare at it long enough, you could see it clear as day. Kinski has changed. Kinski has matured. Kinski has grown up… He was telling the truth. Then the hunchback jackrabbit blinked and the hypnotic staring contest was gone.

I looked down at the ground and rubbed my eyes. Kinski placed both hands on his eyes and rubbed them. _Staring at Banshee's eyes was like looking at fire for too long, but while he stared at the flickering flames of Banshee's eyes, Kinski felt all his physical and mental pains wash away from his body. _

_Finally, for the first time, Kinski has finally paid attention to Banshees eyes. He felt something different when he gazed upon them. He felt relaxed and free…and in that split second of time, he felt like he was normal and his hump never existed in his life…he finally found his sanity._

I didn't say anything as I got up and walked past him and out of the cell. _Kinski stopped rubbing his eyes and watched as Banshee and the zombie sheriff left the cell. The corners of Kinski's mouth crept up into a small smile. Then he turned and followed out after the two. _

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, a lot of crazyness in this chapter, but, its beyond western. It was fun writing this chapter, hope you liked. Chapter 15 will be up later on :)**


	15. Chapter 15: The Search for Mr Black

When Kinski came out of the cell, Rango came up to him, "I appreciate what yer doin' Kinski, thank you," said the undead sheriff and tipped his hat to him. Kinski sneered. _You just happened to be stuck in the same cell Banshee was in,_ thought Kinski bitterly. He still loathed the sheriff, _undead_ or alive. Kinski spat the ground angrily and shouldered Rango out of the way to take the lead. Rango and I followed him.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Rango, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable to be trusting Kinski and letting him lead the way. "We find Mr. Black, find a way out of here, free the rebels and the other citizens of Dirt, and kill Bill," I declared. I looked at Kinski, seeing what his reaction would be to what I just said. Kinski just grinned. "Kill Bill," he laughed softly. I wasn't sure about that kind of reaction, but assumed he wanted to _kill Bill. _

The undead sheriff kept losing more pieces of himself as we ran down corridors and long hallways, up the stairs. Ascending to the ground level of Bill's palace. I kept my distance away from Kinski. We went up a couple more stories, then took an elevator the rest of the way.

Suddenly we heard voices as we walked down a very fancy, decorative hallway with gold chairs and priceless paintings. We quickly ran to the drawn curtains and hid behind them. Rango gasped and quickly clutched the curtains before he fell. Kinski and I gasped as well and grabbed onto the sides. We realized why the curtain was drawn. It was covering over where a window once was. Instead, it was a huge hole.

I instantly remembered back when Waffles told us the info he heard from Gerald: _"The Nightmare hasn't been spotted for days," I said. Waffles nodded happily. "Yeah! Yeah! It hasn't! and Gerald says that it destroyed part of Bill's Palace!" _I looked around the edges of the destroyed wall. Little chunks fell from my touch. _Yep, that was my work, _I thought.

We turned away from the outside before we had vertigo, and peeked from behind the blood red curtain. A group of security guards were the ones coming our way. They suddenly seemed to have stopped. Their ears twitched, listening to any more sounds they thought they heard. We held our breaths behind the thick red velvet curtain. They waited for a couple of minutes, shrugged, then walked on.

When they left, we sighed with relief and quickly jumped away from the hole. I ripped the curtain down, revealing the hole in the wall. Rango scratched his moldy head. "I wonder why that's there," he said. I decided not to answer and changed the subject. "Do either of you know where Bill is keeping Mr. Black?" I asked the hunchback jackrabbit and sheriff zombie.

Rango and Kinski exchanged glances. "Er…no, I was separated from him and sent down into the dungeons. He is somewhere else," said Rango. Kinski racked his brain. "…Maybe," he said. "Everything's a blur during those years…" he said. I narrowed my eyes and crossed my wings over my chest. I let out a long angry sigh. "Fine, then we're just going to have to live with that," I huffed.

Then I gestured him to go and take the lead again and show us where he assumed Bill was holding Mr. Black prisoner. Kinski shifted his eyes from me to the ground. Then he straightened up and started to walk down the rest of the way down the hallway. Rango and I exchanged glances before following him. Kinski opened the door and started walking down a twisted stairway, descending down. Kinski turned to us, checking to see if we were still following, then descended down the stairs himself. Rango gestured down to the spiralling stairs. "After you," he said politely. I smiled a small smile and descended down the dark stairs.

"How's Beans? Is she all right?" asked Rango after a couple of minutes. The labyrinth maze seemed to go on forever, no entrance or exit. The stairs ended and we turned a corner went down a hallway, walked down a couple more steps, then up, and then another hallway started. "…I don't know, the last time I saw her was when we were running for our lives from the knock out gas…but before all that, she really missed you," I answered him. Rango sighed sadly. "I miss her too," said the zombie. The hallway was half as huge as the first one we encountered, and not as beautiful. On each side of the long walls, were doors. Twelve on each side, and five feet apart from each other. I turned back to Kinski, who was still trying to decide which door to go through. I walked up to him with caution.

"…Well?" I asked. Kinski hesitated. Then he lifted his finger and started pointing to each door. He muttered something under his breath. Finally, his finger stopped at the second door closest to us on the right. "That one," he said. I glared at him. "You sure?" I asked, crossing my wings over my chest. Kinski licked his lips nervously, his finger trembled in mid air. "I-I'm sure," he said. I gestured to the door. "Then lead the way," I said. Kinski glanced down at me and then back to the door he picked. He lowered his hand. Then he straightened up and marched right up to it. Rango started to follow, but I placed my wing in front of him. "Not yet," I said, still watching Kinski.

Kinski approached the door with caution. He took a deep breath and exhaled. He lifted his hand and slowly turned the knob. The door swung open. Kinski stared blankly at the gapping door. Suddenly long slimy tongue like thing wrapped around him at lightning speed and pulled him forward. Kinski yelped and disappeared through the door into the darkness. "No!" I screamed and ran through the door.

"Banshee! No! wait!" screamed Rango and chased after me. Inside was cold and dark. I could feel a warm, foul smelling draft in front of me. I held my nose and blindly tried to find Kinski. My shoes made sickening squish sounds as I trudged through the room. I could hear Kinski screaming and a huge animal like roar, but I couldn't see what was going on to help. "Kinski!" I called out and ran to where the screams were coming from, but suddenly slipped and fell onto the slippery, wet ground. The ground was stone, covered in a thick layer of slime and mucus. I lifted my wings and felt the warm goo roll down my wings. I cringed in disgust.

Suddenly, in front of me, I heard a couple of gunshots. After was a loud high screech of pain from the thing who had Kinski. I clamped my wings over my ears. Then after the scream, a loud splash. Rango grabbed my arm and quickly pulled me out of the dark room. Then he turned around and led the way through the door. When Rango and I got to the door, Rango let go of my wing and got ready to close it. I quickly moved in front of the door. "No! Wait! What about Kinski?" I asked the zombie.

Then, right behind me, I heard a couple splashing sounds. Rango tilted his head a bit and looked through the door. The splashes got louder and closer. Finally, out of the darkness, Kinski appeared and pushed me and Rango aside. He was covered head to foot in filmy, light green slime. Kinski turned around and closed the door himself, breathing heavily and coughing up mucus. "What _was_ that thing?!" I screamed at him. Kinski leaned against the door on his right shoulder, mopping the goo off of his face and hair before telling me. "…Zat…vas…ze wrong…door…" he said in between gasps of air. His chest rising and falling at a fast pace.

I couldn't believe it. If all the doors were going to be like that, then finding Mr. Black was going to be a lot harder then I thought. "What in the world kind of pets does Bill have?" asked Rango. Kinski wiped the goo off his arms and rung his ears out. "Unique ones, ze wild kind," Kinski answered. Then he spun around to see if the door was still closed, and continued down the hallway of unknown doors and tried guessing which door to go through next.

_The wild kind were the ones who were ten times bigger then us small animals, and seemed to always be the predators. I thought back to the huge coyote who chased me when I first entered the town, but why did Bill have one in his hotel?_

I decided to not question it any further and followed after Kinski. Kinski randomly picked another door that was three doors down from the first one he picked. Rango and I were right behind Kinski…a few feet back. "Are you sure?" I asked again, but my voice now sounded more concerned. Kinski had his hand on the door handle. He shrugged, "Only one way to find out," he said and opened it. We all jumped back when the door yawned open. We sighed with relief when nothing happened. Inside were stairs, descending down.

We cautiously went down the stairs and then along a thin narrow passage. On the right side only was one door, on the other side were small windows. Kinski stopped at the door and tried opening it. He cursed under his breath. Kinski turned to me. He took a step to the right and motioned his arms from me to the door. I gave him a quizzical look. "What?" I asked. Kinski's arms flopped down to his sides. He pulled out the card key that he used to unlock my shock collar. "Zis key only unlocks every slave's shackles," he explained. I sighed softly and walked up to the door. I screamed at the door, causing it torip off its hinges and crash to the floor. Kinski smiled a small smile. I averted my eyes and walked inside.

Inside was a huge room. Above, it seemed to go on forever.

Mr. Black sat at an old wooden table, his thin spider legs were shackled to the ground. The table was piled and cluttered with test tubes, papers, broken pencils, books, and other sorts of materials and scientific equipment. Around him was the Frankenstein-like equipment that I remembered seeing from my zombie dream. I gasped in shock. The steampunk dressed spider turned around. He jolted at the sight of us. Loose papers fluttered to the cold cement ground.

"Its ok, Mr. Black, we're here to rescue you," I said. Mr. Black's goggles twitched at me, then at Rango and Kinski. He trembled nervously. Kinski pulled out the key card from his pants pocket and approached Mr. Black. The black widow spider started to freak out. He tried escaping, but his shackles held him down. Kinski glared at the spider. Mr. Black stopped trying to escape and froze. Kinski knelt down and unlocked Mr. Black's shackles.

The spider's goggles twitched as Kinski rose up and back to his original slouching position. The spider kicked the chains away then spun around to face the table. He grabbed a brown leather satchel and swept as many papers of information he could squish into the small bag. Then he clasped the two silver buckles on the side of the bag and moved around the hunchback jackrabbit over to me. His goggles twitched, looking at me and Rango. He rubbed his thin front arms nervously.

Suddenly, we heard the sounds of footsteps coming from down the hall toward us. Kinski and I exchanged nervous glances. "Git!" snapped Kinski and we all filed out the door and bolted down the hallway the opposite direction of the footsteps. We turned a corner and stopped. Kinski peeked around the corner.

Two security guards came marching down the steps and toward the door Mr. Black was being held prisoner in. The security guards jolted at the sight of the door being seen wide open. One looked in and cursed. "The prisoner has escaped," said the security guard to the other. The other one cursed. Suddenly two more appeared. "The prisoners in the dungeons have escaped," the two guards said at the same time. The other two groaned and they all four ran back up the steps. Kinski waited till he couldn't hear their footsteps at all.

"Ok," said Kinski, turning back to us. We all cautiously followed right behind Kinski, back down the hall, up the steps, down the hall up the twisting stairs, through the labyrinth of passages, and back to where the elegant hallway was. We walked down the heavily gold decorated long room to the double doors. When we started to pass the hole, my eyes turned to it. The light outside seemed to call me to it. My legs changed course and strolled over to the destroyed wall. The men exchanged confused looks. "Banshee?" asked Rango. I ignored him and looked down. The men came up to where I stood.

We all looked down through the huge gap in the destroyed wall. It was the middle of the afternoon. The sky was a beautiful blue and there was no touch of white clouds. The golden sun blazed down upon the poor city below. Even at twenty-five stories down, Kinski and I thought the same thing. Kinski grinned, the left side of his face twitched and his wide blue eyes sparkled a mischievous wild.

"Ready?" I asked the three male adults. Kinski nodded his head excitedly. Rango and Mr. Black exchanged confused looks. "What?" asked Rango. Before we could answer, we heard loud footsteps and voices coming closer. I closed my eyes tightly and concentrated. After a couple seconds, I opened them.

I loomed over Kinski, Mr. Black, and Rango. Rango gapped and part of his jaw fell off. Mr. Black's goggles focused on my new form and shook nervously. I noticed Kinski smiling up at me. Suddenly, my ears twitched. I heard the group of security men stop dead in their tracks right behind me. They gasped in horror. I turned around and growled at them. The men shook in fear. Kinski quickly nudged me. I stopped growling at the frozen men and quickly lowered my head. Kinski instantly went on my back and shouted for the zombie sheriff and black spider to climb on as well.

Just as I started to spread my wings, one of the security guards snapped out of his state of shock. "Stop gawking! Shoot them!" he yelled. The men quickly snapped out of their state of shock and aimed their guns. I quickly spread my wings and took a dive. Rango and Mr. Black quickly held their hats. Then I came swooping up and took to the skies.

_The men aimed and fired at the three males and the huge Nightmare._

I could hear bullets whizzing by me as I flew off over the city. Rango yelped as he felt three bullets hit him and dig right into his zombie flesh. He felt his back and pulled a bullet out and examined it.

Kinski ducked just in time as a bullet whizzed right past his flapping ears. Mr. Black used two spiny spider hands to hold onto his top hat, two others held his brown satchel. A bullet went right through the hat. He ducked his head lower and gripped my dark mane with four of his long arms. I kept flapping my wings at top speed, gazing down at the poor city, trying to find a place to land.

Rango, Mr. Black, and Kinski gripped the thick fur on my dark mane as I swooped down and flew closer to the City. Bits of rotting flesh flew off from the undead sheriff's arms. Kinski shoved the zombie, arms length away from him and spat bits of zombie out of his mouth. Mr. Black made nervous grunting noises as he held on. I have never heard the spider speak or make any noise since the first day I met him. It was strange.

We flew right over Market Street. Looking for a place to land, but there was so many screaming people scattering in all directions. Roadrunners dispersed, squawking in terror. Carts fell over and crates of fruit spilled and rolled along the street. My wild instincts kicked in again. I landed right next to the turned over fruit cart and started eating the squished fruit. Kinski, Rango, and Mr. Black tumbled off my back and crashed to the ground. They sighed with relief. Thankful to be back on the ground. Rango started kissing the ground happily.

Suddenly, a group of security guards appeared at the end of Market Street. They noticed us and started to march straight for us. My wild bat instincts didn't listen and I kept eating greedily. I couldn't seem to turn back to my normal self.

Mr. Black noticed the security guards and informed Kinski. He poked him and pointed. Kinski turned and sneered. Then he kicked the zombie with his foot. "Quit makin' out with ze dirt and help me with Banshee," he snarled. The undead sheriff flinched and got up off his zombie feet and approached me. I kept eating the fallen fruit.

"Banshee, come on, we gotta go," said Kinski impatiently. He started to push me, but I didn't budge. The men were coming closer. "Banshee?" Kinski asked. I ignored him. "Banshee!" he screamed and pushed harder. Rango did the same but I ignored them.

Rango saw the security men just twenty five feet away from us. He quickly picked up a crate filled with fresh fruit and picked an apple out. "Banshee, here girl, I got a nice shiny apple fer you," he said, enticing me to come. I looked up and noticed the apple in his zombie hand.

"Yes, that's it," he said smiling, then started to take two steps back. I licked my fruit covered lips. I moved away from the food on the ground and started to follow the zombie with the crate of food. _Kinski and Mr. Black watched in amazement as the zombie sheriff lured the huge Banshee away from the approaching security men. They were amazed at the sheriff's quick thinking. _

Suddenly, _Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! _I screeched in pain and collapsed. "Banshee!" screamed Rango and Kinski at the same time. Kinski whipped his gun out and started shooting at the men. The three security men got hit, but ten men still remained. Kinski cursed and chucked his gun down when it ran out of bullets.

I lifted my head and turned. The men quickened their pace toward us. I looked down where the pain was coming from. My wings had five bullet holes in them and were gushing blood. Anger coursed through me. I picked myself up and turned my whole body around. The men gasped and slowed. "Hurry! Shoot it!" screamed one of the men. I quickly screeched at them before they could reload.

The men were sent flying down Market Street. They tumbled and rolled down the rest of the way and then stopped. A pool of blood formed around the dead bodies of the security guards. I collapsed. I shrank down and laid in my own forming pool of blood. My wings were wrapped around my shivering, furry body. Mr. Black quickly grabbed a blanket from one of the stands and draped it over me.

Kinski helped me up. I didn't resist. The blood seeped through the blanket. We walked down the street. Kinski had his hands on my shoulders. Leading me. Rango and Mr. Black didn't say anything as they followed right behind.


	16. Chapter 16: Second Home

**Chapter 16! More Banshee and Kinski moments. I apologize. More action will come later. **

* * *

Kinski led us toward Rebel street. The Rebel Hideout was destroyed, so we stayed in one of the buildings on the opposite side from the Rebel Home. The building was a two story broken down doll house. The day started to get dark as we settled into our new home.

Mr. Black found a lantern in the back near the kitchen. Kinski pulled out his box of matches and lit the lantern. The three men sat around the glowing lantern. We didn't talk as we sat around the lantern in silence. I winced every time my wings gave off little jolts of pain as I carefully tightened the blanket around myself. Finally I got up. The men turned their heads to me. "I'm going to go upstairs," I said to them. The three men silently nodded and went back to looking at the fire in the lantern. I went upstairs, exploring the dark place.

I went into the bathroom and washed all the blood from my wings. Then I carefully dried them off and tightened the blanket around myself as I walked along the dark hallway and went in to another room. My wings still screamed in pain, but I bit my lip and continued on.

The room I went into was a bedroom with a musty, ghost- white bed, a nightstand with a huge mirror, and a dresser. I fumbled through the dresser and found a drawer full of musty old clothes. I found a pale grey skirt and a white long sleeve shirt. I ripped the sleeves off and stretched my wounded wings through the holes. Pain coursed through my wings. I stared down at the holes in terror.

Suddenly, I heard the door open. Kinski appeared at the foot of the doorway. I gave him a look. "Do you mind? Knock next time," I said, narrowing my eyes. Kinski just stood there at the doorway with a blank expression on his face. He hesitated for a while, but finally sighed in annoyance and closed the door. He knocked on the door. "…Come in," I said. Kinski opened the door again.

"Vhere did you find those?" he asked, pointing at the clothes I was wearing. I silently pointed at the drawers. Kinski nodded and then looked down at my shaking wings. "Yer still bleeding," he observed. I looked down and noticed more red blood seeping out from the bullet holes. I swallowed and bit my tongue to keep from screaming or crying. My wings quivered in shock and pain. I sighed and felt the tears trickle down my cheeks. I felt my legs grow weak and I went down on my knees.

"I can't do anything about it," I choked out. I knew that I was either going to bleed to death, or I was going to have to somehow amputate my wings off. I took a deep breath and exhaled. I knew Kinski was watching me, but I didn't care, I just wanted him to leave me alone.

I carefully lifted my left wing and fumbled with the blanket to drape over my other shattered wing. Kinski didn't accept the treatment I was giving myself to help my wings and approached me. I flinched when his furry fingers lightly touched my bare shoulders. I tried speaking, but my throat was closed up.

Kinski gingerly helped me up and led me over to the bed. We both sat down at the edge of it. He slowly took the blanket off and touched my wings. I felt the tips of my ears burn. _What was he doing? Why was he so interested in touching my wings all of the sudden?_ He lightly ran his furry fingers over the holes. I yelped in pain, and jerked my wings away from him.

He calmly looked up at my wincing face, more tears came down from my eyes. Kinski looked back down at my wings and took them in his hands again. He moved his fingers away from my wounds and kept touching my wings. I didn't understand why he all the sudden was acting like this, but it sort of comforted me and calmed me down. Kinski traced my long webbed fingers with his index finger. Then he flipped my hand over and did the same again. I just watched him, the hot waves of embarrassment ceased. I felt fine sitting next to him. I looked up at him. He didn't look up, he seemed transfixed.

Finally, he traced his finger around the bullet holes in my wings. Then he carefully set my wings down on my lap and looked up at me. I gave him a quizzical look. "What was that for?" I asked him. Kinski didn't say anything as he got up and walked out of the room.

I looked down at my wings. Nothing. The bleeding seemed to have stopped for a minute. I turned them over. Still the same. My eyes started to get heavy. I decided not to worry about it and crawled into the bed. I went under the covers and placed my head on the soft musty pillow. The thoughts of having to cut my wings off made my stomach twist and the tears come back again. Soon, I cried myself to sleep…

…

The next morning, I woke up and stretched my wings. My heart skipped a beat, and my eyes widened. My wings were healed! No bullet holes, no scars, nothing! It was like as if it never happened. I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs.

Kinski, Mr. Black, and Rango were already up and sitting in the kitchen. Mr. Black was drinking coffee out of a chipped white mug. Rango was peeking outside a dusty window from behind white lace curtains, muttering something. Gold sunlight poured through the small window. Kinski was sitting at the table, fumbling with his jacks. They all turned and saw me come in.

"Mornin' Banshee," said Rango, then looked back outside to Bill's over grown hotel. Kinski touched a metal jack on the table and then picked it up. I sat down at an empty chair next to him and placed my healed wings on the table, covering his jacks in the process. Kinski noticed my wings over his jacks and looked up at me. "mornin' girly, somethin' wrong?" he asked grinning. I narrowed my eyes at him, "Don't play dumb, how did you do it?" I asked him firmly. Mr. Black looked up at us from his cup of coffee and placed it back down on the counter.

Kinski's playful grin faded away. He ignored my question. He used his thumb and index finger to lift up my right wing and looked under it, then move it aside. He did the same with the left one till my wings were off his jacks. He retrieved his jacks and placed them back in his pocket.

"I didn't do anythin," he finally said. I growled angrily. "You healed my wings! How did you heal them?!" I rose my voice at him. Rango and Mr. Black jumped at my screaming and looked at my wings. "Your wings are healed?" asked Rango in shock and amazement. I took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. I moved my wings and flexed my long webbed fingers, "Yes, Kinski healed them somehow, and he wont tell me," I said, shooting a glare at Kinski. Kinski just gave me a look as if I have gone insane. "I 'ave no idea vhat yer talkin' about, your vings, zey healed zemselves, I didn't do anythin'" he said. I glared at him for a minute, then looked away.

_My wings couldn't have healed themselves that fast. It was impossible. Kinski was hiding something. I remembered how he ran his fingers over my wounds like as if he knew what he was doing. Somehow, his touch seemed to have healed my wings, but he didn't want to admit it. Why? What was he hiding? _

Kinski noticed me thinking and I lowered my head, averting my eyes. Kinski fished his jacks out of his pocket again and let them clink against each other in his furry hand. We didn't mention my healed wings anymore.

I finally got up and decided to find something in the cupboards to eat. I found dirty peaches, bacteria infested pickles, rotten roadrunner eggs, shrivelled up bananas, mushroomed apples, fuzzy white grapes, and something that once looked like a head of lettuce. I sighed and closed the cupboard and moved on to the next one.

Zombie Rango looked away from the window and told me to sit back down. "There isn't any food Banshee, I have already checked." Right after he said that, Rango eyed the rotten food again and licked his bacteria covered lips. Then he reached over and picked the fuzzy white grapes and popped them into his mouth. Kinski, Mr. Black and I looked away in disgust.

Rango grinned, "Not bad," he said, Then he looked at our disgusted faces and clapped his stale crusted hands together. "All right, time for a meeting," he said. Kinski groaned and leaned back in his chair, but then jerked forward when his hump screamed in pain. Mr. Black took a sip from his coffee and placed it back down. I slumped back down in my chair. Rango continued.

"I have called this meeting to order because we need to come up with a solution on how to figure out a way to save the others," he said, then more loose skin fluttered to the floor. "If any of you guys have a plan, go ahead and say it," Rango finished.

The three of us sitting at the table didn't say anything. Kinski rubbed his face in annoyance. _Of all ze people to 'ave in ze small group, ze sheriff 'ad to be in it. Already making 'imself leader. I vould rather kill myself zen vork alongside ze stupid thick-headed wimp of a sheriff, even if he is undead, _thought Kinski bitterly.

I decided to tell the three males what I thought. "If we are going to plan on saving the others, now is the time, there are barely any one up in the mornings," Rango smiled, happy that someone finally said something to break the awkward silence.

"Good! yes, yer right Banshee, we must act now!" said the zombie sheriff, hammering his fist down into the palm of his hand, causing his arm to fall off. Kinski snorted. He gingerly leaned back again, careful to not let his hump give off jolts of pain, and placed his long feet up on the table.

"How? Zere's only four of us, yes?" pointed out Kinski, but didn't really seem to express any emotion toward his observation. Rango rubbed his half skeleton hand over his green peeling chin, thinking. "Yes, there is only four of us…but I'm sure we can work it out. I mean, what's the difference of having four adults in the group then having _six_ adults?" asked Rango laughing nervously. Kinski raised an eyebrow at the zombie sheriff, but didn't say anything.

Mr. Black all of the sudden raised one of his front arms into the air, as if saying he wanted to say something. We all turned to the silent spider as he pulled out his leather satchel and placed it onto the table. He undid the clasps and pulled out a couple of papers. He skimmed and leafed through the pages, scooting a couple away from him, trying to find the right one. Kinski picked a random page up and looked at it.

After a couple of seconds, he placed it back down and looked away. The signs and words on the paper gave no interest to him, it was all too complicated and boring for him to care. Rango and I looked at the rejected papers as well, trying to understand the scientific patterns and logical sense that Mr. Black has printed onto the yellowed pages, but seemed to be as perplexed as Kinski.

Finally, after a couple of minutes of searching, Mr. Black smiled, revealing a row of rotten, gold capped teeth to us, and handing the right paper over to Rango. "Ah, thank you Mr. Black, much obliged for your facilitation to the plan," said Rango as he straightened out the aged paper in his withering hands and peered down at the symbols, and lines. Rango stared at the paper for a couple seconds, occasionally tilting it to the side, then the other side, as if trying to see it at a different angle, then just officially turning it upside down.

"May I see it?" I asked the bewildered zombie. "Hold on, hold on, Banshee…I think…I see…" said the zombie, turning the paper again. Kinski sighed angrily and snatched the paper out of the undead sheriffs hands and handed the paper to me. I nodded a silent thanks to the hunchback jackrabbit and looked down at the paper.

I wrinkled my nose. At first the inked out drawing on the crinkled yellow page didn't make any sense, but then, I started to see the layout of The City unfold before me. The curves and detailed lines indicated the top of the city, what really made my eyes widen was what bestowed _under_ The City. "A tunnel system underneath the City," I said. Mr. Black nodded. Rango's eyes widened, "What? I mean-er- yes! Yeah, that's what I saw," he said.

Kinski got up and looked down at the map. "Ze aquifer," he observed. Mr. Black pointed to him and nodded again. Rango looked down at the map as well and snapped his head back up, as if realizing something. "Oh yeah! The aquifer! I remember that complicated system of cavernous passageways!" he said and smiled. Mr. Black stared at the zombie for a minute, then continued silently explaining his plan.

He pointed where we were, then moved the end of his front arm down the page and along a route of tunnels across and through to where the chain of casinos were located. We were going to use the old tunnel system underneath the city, to access the casinos without being noticed, free the citizens, and escape through the tunnels till we were far away from the City and figure out another plan after. Perfect.

…

After letting the plan sink into our systems, Mr. Black snatched the map from my wings. He rolled the crusty old paper up and placed it into the inside of his vest pocket. Then he got up from his seat and scuttled out of the kitchen. He stopped and turned around awkwardly to see if we were following him. The zombie sheriff, deranged jackrabbit, and I all exchanged glances before getting up and sauntering after him.

Mr. Black led us out of the kitchen and toward a door. He opened it, and briskly moved down the steps, down into the cold basement. All four of us descended down into the darkness. Kinski pulled out his box of matches and struck one. The small light illuminated around us letting us see part of the rotten wooden steps and the stone walls. The small light seemed to warm us up a bit in the ice cold darkness. I walked behind Kinski, as he kept the light a foot from his face and drooping ears. The zombie sheriff was in front of him and Mr. Black was in front of the sheriff.

Finally, we hit the bottom of the basement. Mr. Black motioned his hand for Kinski to bring the light over to where he was. Kinski obeyed and knelt down where the spider was crouching. We stopped where the spider was and looked down. The spider and deranged jackrabbit were squatting next to a round metal trapdoor, almost looked like a man hole cover.

The steampunk themed spider hooked the ends of his hands underneath the edge of the metal circle and tried prying it up. Rango and I knelt down across from him and helped him. The metal cover loosened and lifted up. We heaved it aside and looked down. The darkness inside the hole looked even more dark. Kinski lit another match and dropped the first match down into the hole.

The hole illuminated the inside of the underground passage, then snuffed out when it made contact with the slime and sludge. "How did you know this was here?" asked Rango. Mr. Black didn't answer as he jumped into the hole. Rango, Kinski and I exchanged glances. Mr. Black was a strange, mysterious spider with a whole bunch of secrets, and full of surprises…no wonder the town girls liked him. Rango just shrugged and Kinski snorted. I just ignored their scoffing and jumped down after Mr. Black.

I landed next to Mr. Black and felt my legs sink into the slime. I cringed in disgust and trudged shin deep through the sewage and gunk. Kinski was next and landed. The hairs on the back of his neck stuck straight up and he stiffened. The match fell and was snuffed out.

He cursed angrily and struck another one. Then he moved out of the way for the undead sheriff. When Rango came down, Rango yelped in disgust. His left foot snapped off and his hip stuck out. He straightened up, snapped himself back and stared down at the illuminated sludge in disgust.

"Uck!" he shrilled, but then noticed the other two men giving him a look, and he quickly changed his opinion on the sludge and waved it off as if he's been through worse. Mr. Black pulled out the map and studied the drawing. He looked around where our location was, then pointed behind him and rolled the map up. Kinski took the lead with the match. Lighting the way. We still didn't talk during the journey through the twisting, tunnels.

_I didn't feel like talking. For the men, I had no idea why. I would think Rango would want to talk, but he seemed to not want to talk. Deep in his own thoughts. It was strange. For Kinski, he only talked when he felt like it, or was comfortable. Mr. Black…he never talked. I wondered if he was foreign, or maybe just a mute. Still a mystery. _

The dark, dingy tunnel opened up into a cavernous aquifer. The sludge and slime thinned out into a dirt path. Rango, Mr. Black, and I all wiped the sludge from our shoes. Kinski just shook his rabbit feet a couple times and continued walking, not really caring about the slime in between his toes.

The place was huge, it seemed to go on forever. Trails that seemed to snake around to different areas of the aquifer and suspend over an endless eternal, gapping hole.

Mr. Black brought out his map again. Bobbing his head up to the ceiling, then back down to the map. We all stopped and waited for the steampunk spider to give us further instructions. Kinski looked around and up at the ceiling. Rango looked down at his feet, then adjusted his leg to properly click back in. I fumbled my wings nervously and looked around.

Suddenly, Kinski jumped and yelped in pain when the flame on the match finally burned down to his furry phalanges. "Shit!" he shouted angrily and dropped the match. It extinguished itself out before it hit the ground. I tried choking back a laugh, but still made a soft snicker. Kinski heard it and shot me a glare in the darkness, then struck another match.

"So, where do we go now?" asked Rango, moving over to Mr. Black and looking over his shoulder to get a glance at the map. Mr. Black quickly placed the map inside his vest and jumped away from the undead sheriff. When Mr. Black got to the distance he was most comfortable (which was six feet) from Rango, he pointed up. Rango's head snapped up and nearly fell off. The stretching ceiling was beyond our reach, almost like trying to climb a mountain. Kinski didn't bother to look up. "How are we-" I started, but then noticed the spider, undead sheriff, and deranged jackrabbit looking at me. I sighed loudly. I cursed under my breath.

…

It took me less then thirty seconds to fly all the way up to the top. (If I was my normal size, it would've taken me ten to twenty minutes) The three male adults rode on my back as I flew up. Their grip was tight, nearly uprooting chunks of my fur since we were at a 90 degree angle upward.

Finally reaching the top, the males jumped off and stepped on to a ledge. Rango nearly fell, but I nudged him where I flapped, suspended in the air to push him forward and onto the ledge. He thanked me and walked away from the edge. Mr. Black jumped off after him and looked up at the ceiling. His eight lensed goggles went in different directions, but his two main lenses focused on the ceiling. He picked at it with one hand, and rubbed his chin with his other.

Kinski was the last to jump off. He almost lost his footing but regained his balance and looked up at the arms- reach ceiling. He started to pick at it. It crumbled away in his hands. Then he lifted both arms up and started clawing away at the dirt. He instantly made a hole in the ceiling before Mr. Black could stop him. Kinski jumped up and climbed his way up through his tunnel as it was being made in the process.

Dirt fell down, making a mound on the ledge. Rango gingerly walked over and tilted his moldy head up inside the rabbit tunnel. I transformed and landed on the edge. I wrapped my wings around myself and sat down. Rango tossed me my clothes. After that, he and Mr. Black climbed up through the Kinski tunnel. Leaving me to my privacy to change back into my clothes.

When I changed into my borrowed clothes, I climbed up through the tunnel. It was difficult. Like climbing up a chimney, but I'm not the one to know how it feels to climb up a chimney, so don't ask. I kept climbing, until I felt a pair of hands grip my shoulders and hoist me up. I turned my head, Kinski was behind me, hoisting me up from the hole. I turned my head back and looked around. I found myself in a small concrete cellar. Inside were racks of assorted food, mugs, and empty martini glasses on rickety wooden racks. Boxes of poker chips, broken roulette tables, pool sticks snapped in half, cracked billiard balls, and rolled up blood red carpets.

Where I was suspended, a couple of steps were in front of me, which led up to the ground level to the certain casino we were in. Kinski set me down on the ground, away from the hole he made. The ground was made of dirt. I was curious if anyone knew that there was nothing but a bottomless pit under the cellar. I shook the thoughts from my head and briskly strolled to the stone stairs and ascended up them. Mr. Black, Rango, and Kinski followed after me.

"Which casino are we in?" asked Rango in a low voice. Mr. Black pulled out his map and pointed to the casino we were under. "Ze Vild Card Casino," said Kinski, looking over the undead sheriff and black spider's shoulders. The two both jumped when the hunchback jackrabbit spoke.

"Woah! Kinski, personal space please," said Rango and took a step away from the hunchback jackrabbit and held his rotting hands up. Kinski growled angrily and gritted his teeth. His bangs covered his eyes, but we knew they were filled with rage. Rango closed his mouth and slowly slinked away before Kinski snapped his withering body in half.

"Is there anything we should worry about in the Wild Card Casino?" I asked. Kinski snapped his head to me. "Is big, and is swamped vith Security guys," he said. Rango adjusted the belt around his pants, but then the rotting leather snapped in half. Rango ignored it and jutted out his chin, "Well, we better get started, let's roll," he said with a festering smile on his peeling face.

* * *

**Ta Da! Chapter 16. Hope everyone enjoyed. Apologies for the slight delay, I just started school. So I'll try to post the chapters up when I can, if not, possibly over the weekend or something. Please tell me what you think of the story. Thank you. :) **


	17. Chapter 17: The Casino Zone

**Apologies for everyone. Here's Chapter 17! :) hope you like**

We walked up the steps and entered the casino. The place was packed with people and games. The place was huge, decorated with gigantic cards, chips, and roulette tables on the walls. Blood red velvet carpet snaked around card tables and roulettes. People bustled and briskly walked from one game to the next. A couple animals smoked, and the ceiling was foggy with the aftermath.

I coughed and held my nose in disgust. My heart stopped when a couple security men passed by us. All four of us quickly hid behind a ginormous potted plant. Kinski was right, the place was swarming with Security men. Rango looked around the room.

"Blend in…blend in…" he muttered to himself. Then he turned his head and gasped. Right next to us, was a rack of casino dealer clothes. Crimson vests, alabaster shirts, and pitch black pants He unhooked a couple and tossed them to us.

"Put these on," he said as he pulled a white, long sleeve shirt over his decaying clothes. Kinski's twitching pink nose wrinkled. " I ain't wearin' zis," he snarled, twisting the bundle of ironed clothes in his furry hands. I looked down at the shirt and vest in my wings, then to Kinski. "It's the only way for us to go around without being noticed," I said. Kinski's bangs fell over his eyes again. He growled softly. He untwisted the clothes and glared down at the wrinkles.

Rango, Mr. Black, Kinski, and I came out from behind the potted plant, wearing the borrowed casino dealer clothes over our normal clothes. "All right, now we find the others," the undead sheriff said. Kinski pulled at the ends of his blood red vest nervously. His hump peeked out from under his casino clothes, and his normal wear stuck out from under the borrowed dealer clothes. I only wore a red buttoed up vest, since my wings were unable to squish into a long sleeve garment. Mr. Black wore the longsleeve white shirt and vest, but not the black pants since he already wore a custom made pair for himself.

We walked through the busy casino, our eyes scanning the stuffy scenery for any original Dirtonians. As we walked, we kept bumping into people and squished in between like a sandwich. Kinski accidentally stepped on a fox lady's foot. The fox lady jabbed her elbow into his gut angrily and moved on. Kinski gasped and doubled over. Mr. Black was shoved aside by tall burly rodent men in suits. He fell and was trampled by hundreds of feet. Rango accidentally ran into a huge elderly toad woman wearing a nice pink dress and pink feathery boa. She shrieked and starting bashing him with her purse. Suddenly, after the third whack, the zombie's head snapped off and fell to the floor. The woman screamed and bolted away from Rango's dead body. Everyone screamed in horror and ran away from the zombie sheriff as his body chased his rolling head through the dispersing crowd.

I tried helping the men, but found myself trapped. Male and female animals shoved and pushed me further and further away from my helpless friends. After a couple seconds of frustration and struggling, I finally just screamed. Instantly, the whole bustling, screaming crowd exploded. Everyone flew through the air in opposite directions, leaving a gap. Everyone started talking at once, not sure what happened.

Mr. Black, Rango, and Kinski stood in the middle of the empty gap. Rango finally retrieved his head and attached it back on his head. The three misfit men looked up and noticed everyone on the ground. Suddenly, a whole bunch of Security men started coming toward us. We reunited and bolted. Kinski still clutched his stomach in pain, Rango rubbed his sore head, and Mr. Black wiped the dirt from his vest. We disappeared through another crowd of bustling people. We ducked our heads and kept moving. The Security men tried shoving their way through but it was no use. It was like a bunch of salmon swimming upstream.

We finally made it to the other side. I looked up and noticed Kinski on the ground doubled over as a whole bunch of people walked around, somewhat crashing or bumping into him as they went to the other side of the room. I made my way to him through the crowd. I noticed the security men a couple feet from him. My heart skipped a beat and I moved faster to the crumpled jackrabbit. I finally was within arms reach through the bundled up fur and flesh of the crowd and reached for his arm. Kinski had his head down. "Kinski!" I screamed through the yelling and shouting.

Kinski looked up, and nearly lost his head through the strap loop of a purse. He slowly got up and reached for my wing. Instantly, he yelped in shock and pain as people trampled over him and the Security men's hands clamped down on his shoulders. Kinski stopped reaching for my wing. Instead, he swung his arm around and bashed the two security men upside the head, also hitting a couple people as well. The men fell back and against other people, creating the Domino Effect. Kinski snarled in frustration and shouldered his way out, using one arm. His other still clutched to his stomach. I grabbed his arm and helped him out of the compacted area.

We finally met up with Rango and Mr. Black near an unattended Wheel-o-Fortune in an awkward corner. Beside it was a huge potted plant and behind it was a closed door. Kinski and I sat down and breathed heavily. "What now? We… can't seem to get anywhere …without running into… a mob of people," I said between gulps of air. Rango held his hands up and gestured in a way for me to calm down. "Ok, I know, I know, hold on let me think," he said and looked around the room. Kinski sneered, but didn't comment as he held his stomach.

Suddenly, Mr. Black started waving his arms in the air and silently pointed to his right, our left. Over there in the corner was Beans. She wore the same casino outfit we were wearing and was serving drinks. Her wrists and ankles were shackled together, making it more difficult for her to move around. Rango gasped in excitement and horror. Instantly, the zombie sheriff made his way over to the female lizard. Beans placed a drink down on a table for someone, then straightened up and noticed Rango coming straight toward him. She gasped, her eyes widening.

I looked around to see if any of the Security men were around to stop us before moving over to where they were. Kinski and Mr. Black followed suit.

_Beans gasped in total shock, seeing her undead boyfriend, the steam punk themed spider, the deranged hunchback, and the adult Nightmare, all together, here to rescue her and the others._

She dropped the tray of drinks, but she didn't seem to notice as she stared at us with huge wide eyes. Kinski pulled out the key card from his pocket and unlocked the shackles from her wrists. Beans still stared at Rango.

"R-Rango? Is that you?" asked Beans, tears forming in her eyes. Rango smiled at the sight of Beans. He approached her. "Beans! Oh I'm so glad to see-" the zombie sheriff was suddenly interrupted when Beans slapped a hand across his face. "Ow! What was that for?" asked Rango as he rubbed his moldy cheek where Beans slapped him. Kinski couldn't help but snicker. I shot Kinski a glare, but he ignored me.

Beans glared at the zombie furiously, "Where have you been?! I was so worried about you!" screamed Beans, "You never wrote, you never showed yerself you never said goodbye! How could I know?" she asked him. Rango looked at Beans in confusement and shock as she rambled on.

Suddenly, in mid sentence, she froze. Rango sighed with relief. He turned his head to us, we stared back and shrugged our shoulders, not sure what the heck got Beans so upset. He snapped his zombie head back, just in time to see Beans unfreeze and continue screaming at him, "-And furthermore!" she screamed, then stopped. She grabbed the front of Rango's rotting shirt and pulled him forward to her.

Before Rango could react, Beans kissed Rango right on his green zombie lips. Kinski and I blanched. Mr. Black's goggles fogged up. Rango's eyes widened at the sudden change. At first, Beans was yelling at him, then before he knew it, she was kissing him. Rango decided not to ponder over it any longer and kissed Beans back.

Kinski looked away and pretended to vomit. I smiled at Kinski's reaction to the unexpected scene and shook my head. Mr. Black unfogged his goggles and looked down at his front hands. Beans stopped kissing Rango and hugged him. "I thought you were dead," she said as tears went down her face. Rango smiled and hugged her back. "Well…I did, but I can't anymore, and I will never leave you," said Rango.

Instantly, I felt the feeling we were being watched. I turned my head and noticed a good amount of people watching us. I tapped on Rango's deteriorating shoulder. "We need to go," I whispered. Suddenly the Security Men showed up. "Now!" I said a bit more loudly. Kinski and Mr. Black instantly bolted. Rango and Beans recollected themselves before following the two misfit men, already in the lead. I screamed at the Security men to buy us more time, and hightailed it myself. We ran back the way we came.

* * *

Throughout the day, we went from casino to casino, picking up the creatures who were part of the posse and other citizens of Dirt. Every visit to a casino got harder and harder. There were Security Guards everywhere. After when we would retrieve a member from Dirt from the casino, we would leave them in the cavernous aquifer. Mr. Black stayed behind and watched them, as Rango, Kinski and I would go along the other trails to where the other casinos were located.

We rescued Priscilla and Petunia from one casino called the Black Dice. They were both working the front desk where you get your chips. Petunia was so happy to see Kinski, that she jumped right into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. Kinski jolted at the unexpected action and just stood there, frozen to the spot. I laughed and retrieved the little girl from him. Kinski rubbed the back of his head and blushed with embarrassment.

A couple times, we would almost get caught or get stuck in a horrible situation, with a group of guards, but I would either scream our way out or Kinski would fight his way out of a bustling crowd or a whole gang of security men. Rango used Kinski's key card to unlock the shackles from the slaved citizens and we would lead them back the way we came. The citizens were so happy to see us. They hugged me, they gapped at Rango that he was standing there before them in the…peeling dead flesh. Kinski was given glares and suspicious looks. Kinski ignored them and hid behind his bangs. Ricochet and Stub looked beaten when we found them. "Everyone who escaped last time got beaten up from the Security Guards," said Stub and coughed up some blood. I took my vest off and carefully wiped both of the boys' bleeding mouths, letting the material soak up their blood. Then Rango slid the key card through their shackles, freeing them. Kinski led the way.

In one casino, Kinski, Waffles, and I hid behind an empty card table from the guards. When we got up from behind it, a couple of Hawaiian shirt wearing rodents, came up to us and asked us to deal the cards. I quickly pushed Waffles back down under the table. "Stay there," I whispered. Waffles nodded and sat there, hugging his knees under the table. Kinski narrowed his eyes at the couple and was about to correct them, but I quickly placed my wing over his mouth and pointed at his casino get- up.

Kinski cursed under his breath after I lowered my wing from his mouth and started dealing out the cards to the tacky looking tourists. We would lower our heads and raise our shoulders every time a group of Security men came around. Finally, the couple lost and went on to a different game. "Thank God," muttered Kinski, throwing the cards down on the table in relief and tossing his head to look up at the ceiling.

Suddenly, another couple came up to our table and asked us to deal the cards. Kinski still had his head back, looking up at the ceiling. Paused there for a moment. Kinski bared his teeth and growled angrily. Then he snapped his head back and curled his fingers underneath the table and flipping the table toward the couple. The two creatures screamed and moved away from the tipping table. The table crashed to the ground. The deck of cards fluttered everywhere till they flickered to the ground.

Waffles looked up and noticed that the table was tipped over. He quickly got up and stood beside me. The couple moved away from our table and gapped at Kinski in horror. Kinski glared at them through his bangs. Then he grabbed my wing and ran. Waffles ran right behind us. All three of us bolted through the casino to the other side. A couple of Security guards saw us and started chasing after us.

Rango stood near the basement door and noticed us running toward him. He opened the door and let us through. Then he quickly closed the door and locked it behind him as the Security men came near. They pounded on the doors as we caught our breaths. We gasped and panted heavily. Rango looked down at our panting bodies and smiled. "I think Waffles was the last citizen to save," he said. Kinski managed to smile a small smile, then rested his head on my shoulder. One of his ears flopped over my head. I felt my body give off waves of cold and hot. I flicked his ear, that drooped over my face, back over his shoulder. Kinski smiled and flicked his ear back over my head. I couldn't help but smile.

Waffles finally got up from where he sat and looked up at Rango with wide eyes. "Th-that you Mr. R-Rango?" he asked in his raspy voice. Rango looked down at the little desert horned lizard and nodded. "Yes, my good man, it is I, Rango," he beamed and adjusted the crumpled brown, bacteria infested, cowboy hat on his head. Waffles stared up at the zombie chameleon in shock and amazement.

"B-but, I thought you was dead, Mr. Rango, I saw you get sh-shot," he pointed out. Rango chuckled at the small lizard. "Yes, I did, but was brought back to life, I am now a zombie, but enough about me, lets go," the chameleon said, but right when he said that, we heard the pounding suddenly ceased. Suddenly, a couple seconds later, loud gunshots erupted from the other side.

Bullets went right through the wooden door. "Aah! Get down!" screamed Rango, as he was pelted with bullets. Waffles gasped and went down on the ground in a curled up ball. Kinski quickly shoved me and himself down to the ground. He placed one arm over my ducked head and the other over his ducked head.

The bullets erupted over our heads till it went quiet. Rango straightened up where he stood and looked down at the bullets in his stomach. He sighed and started plucking them out with his bony thumb and index finger. Waffles slowly uncurled himself and looked through his clawed fingers. Kinski looked up, then down at my ducked head. My ears were back in annoyance from the loud sounds of the guns and bullets splintering through the door. Kinski slowly removed his arm from my head and lightly touched the top of my head with his hand, silently signalling me that it was ok to get up. I lifted my head up and sat upright on my knees. Kinski sat upright on his knees as well. He suddenly winced in pain and clutched his right side.

"Kinski? Are you ok?" I asked him in a small whisper. I placed my left wing on top of his shoulder. His eyes were squeezed shut in pain. He slowly opened them and looked up at me. "Y-yeah…I'm fine," he said and swallowed. I looked down where his hands were placed. Red stuff bled through his shirt. I gasped. "You're bleeding!" I said and started to remove his hands from where the wound was. "No, I'm fine," he gasped out but groaned in pain again. He reached in and pulled out the bullet that was in his raw flesh. He gasped again and dropped the bullet down to the ground. The silver toned bullet drowned in a small puddle of rabbit blood. Kinski clutched his side again with his crimson stained fingers.

Just then the door was kicked from its hinges and a group of Security men filed into the room and aimed their guns down at us. "Git up and raise yer arms," snarled one of the Security guards. Kinski, Waffles and I, got up on our feet and raised our arms over our heads. Kinski crossed his left hand over his stomach to where the bleeding wound was on his right, and lifted his right hand a couple inches above his wiry dirty blonde head.

"Now come along nice and easy, and no one will get hurt," said one of the uniformed men. The security men, blocking the gapping open door, cocked their rifles and pointed the nose of the barrels close to our faces. I flinched and felt my stomach churn uneasily. Waffles had his hands way up over his head. His mouth moved but no sound came out.

Rango and Kinski exchanged glances, thinking the same thing. Then Kinski nudged me with his elbow, giving me the signal. I nodded my head to them, then turned my attention to the Security men, waiting for us to move. I took a deep breath and screamed at the Security Men.

They shrieked as they were flung backwards and out the doorway. We didn't waste any time as we quickly tossed the blanket that hid the hole in the ground down to the aquifer. I jumped down into the hole first. As I fell and was finally out of the vertical tunnel, I quickly transformed into The Nightmare and flapped my wings in midair.

Seconds later, I felt Kinski, Waffles, and Rango land on top of my back and I flapped my wings and flew away from the hole, just as the Security men came after us through the hole. They screamed as they fell through the open air, and down to the endless black pits to their deaths. I soared through the huge aquifer and down to where the rest of the citizens were.

When I landed, Kinski, Rango and Waffles, jumped off of my back and approached the citizens. Mr. Black came up to Rango and showed him the map in his black hand and pointed at it. Rango smiled and lifted his head up to the clustered citizens. "All right everybody, lets get out of here and be free from Bill's evil City," said the chameleon. The small crowd gave out a couple of whoops and cheers as they followed right behind us, their rescuers.

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**Yay! finally got to work on my chapter. Hope you enjoy, sorry about this. Blame school :P**


	18. Chapter 18: Trust

**Chapter 18. If there are any mistakes, I apologize.**

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I transformed back to my normal self. An elderly citizen gave up her shawl and wrapped it around me. I thanked her and tightened the long soft material around myself. We headed down the long tunnels of the eternal aquifer. Rango and Mr. Black led the way, followed by Beans, Kinski and me. Behind us were the freed citizens. The citizens chattered amongst and Petunia reunited with their parents. They were so happy to see each other again, it was such a touching scene.

Beans turned her head and smiled at the happy family. Then she looped her arm through Rango's arm. Suddenly, Rango's arm snapped off. She gasped in surprise and dropped the zombie's arm to the ground. Rango's scaly eyebrows lifted and stopped. He quickly retrieved his arm and snapped it back in place.

"Sorry, that happens a lot," he said, laughing nervously. Beans stared blankly at Rango for a minute, then waved the whole thing off. She gingerly touched Rango's hand and clasped it in hers. She didn't care that much about Rango's new look, she was just happy to be with him again.

Mr. Black traced his finger along the surface of the aging paper and looked up, following the route. Behind him, Kinski ran his fingers along the crumbling grooved layers of rock as we walked along. His other hand clutched his right side. I walked along next to him. Finally, I lifted one of the corners of the purple shawl and started to dab at the blood.

Kinski jumped and looked down. "Vhat're you doing?" he asked. I used my other wing to remove his hand from the wound and let the tip of the shawl suck in the fresh blood. Kinski gasped in pain and breathed heavily. I stopped dabbing, "Sorry," I said. Kinski winced again and placed his hand back over his wound. "It's all right," he said and clenched his teeth.

_One of the citizens nudged his elbow with another citizen. "Hey, aint that the hunchback? One of Bad Bill's gang members?" he asked his friend. The other citizen looked past the other animals and at the hunchback jackrabbit. His bushy eyebrows raised. "It is, whas' he doin' 'ere?" he asked. The other one shrugged, "I dunno, but I aint trustin' 'im," he said. _

My ears picked up every word they said in their conversation. I picked up my pace and walked next to Kinski, lighting the way. "I heard 'em," he told me, as if reading my mind. My ears twitched. "Don't listen to them, they don't know you are on our side," I said. Kinski kept looking straight ahead into the dark tunnel. I noticed his teeth were clenched, not just by the pain in his side. We continued walking on.

Beans tightened her grip on Rango's hand. "I don't remember goin' through this passageway the last time we went through 'ere," she said nervously looking around. Rango squeezed her hand. "This aquifer has many tunnels and secret passageways we have never discovered before," he said. Beans nodded and stayed close to Rango. The cool air in the tunnel calmed us as we walked.

Suddenly, a faint echoing sound was heard. I stopped. My ears twitched to the sounds. A couple other citizens stopped and listened to the sounds. After a while, we continued walking. The further we walked into the tunnel, the louder the noise came. Kinski lifted his head up. He slowed down a bit. I looked up at him.

"You hear it too?" I asked him. Kinski slowly nodded. His eyes darting around the tunnel. "I don't know vhat it is…" he said, then picked up his pace. The sounds got louder. Soon, everyone could hear it.

After a couple more steps, we found it. Another tunnel opened up. Citizens, covered head to foot in dirt and dust were seen, picking away at the end of the tunnel with shovels and pickaxes. Mine carts were seen filled with strange silver tinted rocks and being hauled over to an area where more chained up creatures were seen, cleaning them. I counted twenty prisoners in all.

A rusty old elevator was seen, discarded and untouched. Security men were seen with guns and whips. A snap from a whip pierced through the air, followed by a spine twisting wail. Everyone behind me gasped at the horrible sight. Kinski's eyes widened a bit and took a step back. "Oh..." he said. I turned to him. He stared at the horrendous scene.

I narrowed my eyes. "You knew about this," I said. Kinski didn't look down at me. "...I...I fergot all about zis. Is Bill's plan," he spluttered.

The security men turned and noticed us. They whipped out their guns and started to fire. "Take cover!" yelled Rango. Everyone scattered away from the flying bullets, ducking behind huge boulders. Kinski collapsed next to me behind the boulder near the entrance of the secret underground mines. He groaned in pain and clutched his right side. My ears went back in pain from the flying bullets.

"How could you have forgotten?!" I snapped at Kinski. Kinski stopped wincing and rolled his head toward me. "Bill didn't keep me up on zis! He told me a little bit, but-" suddenly, an explosion was heard. Kinski and i ducked our heads. When it was over, Kinski and I peeked from our hiding spot. Two security men were seen lighting dynimite and flinging it over to where all the freed citizens were taking cover. Bits of rock fell and dust lifted into the air. Rango and the others scattered further and further away.

"Bill, he vanted ze town so he could start zis underground mine. Ze metal," Kinski said. He lifted his left arm and pointed straight ahead to the strange silver tinted rocks. Metal.

I ducked when another explosion went off. Chunks of rock fell down from the ceiling of the caves. When the dust settled, I lifted my head. "Why does he want the metal? What's so amazing about it?" I asked. Kinski shrugged. Another piece to the confuzing puzzle. Suddenly, a couple screams were heard. The security men were advancing. Their guns cocked and aimed right at the weaponless citizens. I got up from my hiding spot and advanced toward them. The security men jolted when they saw me transform and aimed their guns at me. I screamed, sending the uniformed men backwards. They smacked into the tunnel wall and collapsed.

More guards came at me, but I smacked them away with the back of my wing. A sharp, stinging pain jolted up my shoulder as the cord of the whip tightened around my wing. I was forced to go down. More whips slashed. I screamed in pain. Some guards were shoved back by the invisible force, but more kept coming. Kinski got up from his hiding place and tried to help me.

He picked up a rock the size of his fist with his right hand and came up behind a guard. He struck the rock against the guard, thus cracking his head. The guard screamed in pain as blood splattered out of the side of his head. He gripped his head tightly, letting go of his gun and whip that was wrapped around me and collapsed to the ground. Kinski loosened the whip around my wing while still clutching his bleeding right side.

More guards came out from the dark mine toward Kinski. Kinski's inexperienced hand raised the whip. The guards hesitated as Kinski brought his arm down. The whip made a loud snap. The guard closest to Kinski screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Kinski fell to his knees as well. His hand dropped the whip and came up to his face where a bleeding fresh gash streaked across his face where the whip touched him. The guards advanced toward him.

Rango and his posse jumped out from their hiding places and joined the brawl. Weaponless, the men fought the guards with their fists, or rocks. I caught a glimpse of Spoons being shot in the shoulder, and Sergeant Turley being struck with the butt of a gun. Elgin socked one in the head and got another in a headlock. Wounded Bird raised his crutch and smacked one causing the guard to fall to the ground, unconscious. Rango helped Kinski up from the ground, being his shield from the flying bullets. The chunks of lead pierced through the zombie's dead flesh, but it didn't bother him as he led Kinski to a safer spot.

When the rest of Rango's men were done fighting their share of the guards, they made their way around me and the distracted guards over to the prisoners. Minutes later, they all filed out of the mine. The citizens led the wounded; Spoons, Sergeant Turley, and the prisoners away down the tunnel we were following.

I swung my head down and bit down into a guards shoulder. the guard screamed as I flung him across the tunnel. His body smacked against the other side of the tunnel and collapsed to the ground in a pool of blood. I gritted my teeth and used all my strength to lift up. The guards gripped the ends of their whips tightly as I thrashed and flapped my wings violently. I attacked two more guards. The rest moved away from me. I screeched and flapped my wings angrily.

Rocks fell from the ceiling and crashed down onto my back, but I ignored it. The remaining guards dropped their weapons and ran down the opposite end of the tunnel till they were gone from my sight. I sighed in pain and exhaustion and turned back into my normal size. I wrapped my bleeding wings around myself and walked down the tunnel to where the others accumulated.

Kinski sat on the ground, a couple feet from other people who also got wounded. He got to his feet when he saw me. Suddenly, a small crowd of citizens surrounded me. "Banshee! yer bleeding!" said a rodent I knew named Delilah. Instantly, she started to clean the fresh blood up with her shawl.

Kinski approached me and the crowd. When the Dirtonians noticed Kinski coming up to them, they glared at him. Kinski stopped when he tried approching me. The citizens wouldn't allow him near me. Frustrated, Kinski narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth. Right when he was about to attack, Beans stepped in front of him. "Sit back down, Kinski," she said sternly. Kinski growled. He glanced over at me, then down at Beans. He stayed standing. After the bullets were taken out and the blood was cleaned up, I was led away from the hunchback jackrabbit and female lizard. The Dirtonians carefully made me sit down on the ground to rest.

...

A half an hour later, we continued on throught the aquifer. Light came from the holes in the gradually lowering ceiling as we walked down a path into a narrowing tunnel. Kinski pulled out his box of matches with his free hand and struck a match as the light slowly faded away and left us in darkness. The little light illuminated the sides of the walls. The citizens followed the light. I limped behind Mr. Black and Rango. I gave back the coats to the citizens and walked on with my raw, sensitive wings wrapped around me. The cool air felt good against the gashes and open wounds.

Mr. Black looked up from his map and noticed a light. He turned to Rango and pointed. Rango noticed the little gleam of light right in front of him. The end of the tunnel. He exchanged excited glances to Beans and then turned to the citizens. "The light, we are almost out of the tunnel everyone!" Everyone looked up at the zombie sheriff and cheered. We all quickened our pace toward the light. As the light became brighter in the tunnel, Kinski blew out the match he held in his hand and flicked the burnt stick to the ground.

Finally, we made it out. We looked around. Our new location was at the open sandy desert with dunes and dead dried up plants. The citizens noticed the City a mile away from where we stood. They started murmuring amongst each other. Suddenly, the talking became a whole series of arguments. Within seconds, everyone was arguing and fighting.

Rango, Beans, Kinski and I climbed to the top of a dune and peered down over the crowd of angry citizens. Rango pulled out his gun and fired one in the air, shutting up the crowd. "Everyone be quiet! And listen to what I would like each and every one of you to do!" said the zombie sheriff. "What do you expect us to do?" asked Mr. Furgus up to Rango. Rango opened his mouth, then closed it, realizing he had no idea. He looked down at the silenced crowd, who looked back at him. "Er…uh-" he started.

"There's only forty-eight of us, and over five hundred of them. If we're gonna start this rebellion, we're gonna need more people. I might be speakin' everyone's mind 'ere, but, we're outnumbered," said Buford. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. I turned around and scanned over the faces of our army. After nodding their heads, everyone either looked back at us, or looked down at their feet sadly. Buford was right, there was about only forty-eight of us, we weren't much of an army. Rango started counting the heads of the crowd.

"We can't fight against Bill's men, its impossible," said Delilah sadly. "We have no way of winning," said someone else in the crowd. "Bill has won," said another. Everyone started talking at once. Rango stopped counting the crowd and held his hands up to calm the crowd down. "Woah woah! Hold on now! No one said anything about Bill winning!" shouted Rango. "I did," said the person who said it.

Rango ignored the person. "Bill hasn't won, we still have a chance of winning…yes we are a small group of people, but we have one thing Bill doesn't have…we have each other, we have hope," said Rango. Everyone exchanged glances. Kinski just rolled his eyes. _Not this crap again, _he thought. Rango continued, "With us all as one, we could be strong enough to fight Bill's army, we can if we have hope, have something to believe in! If we all pull ourselves together, we could defeat Bill's men, and live the happy life we once lived in. Back when everyone wasn't a slave, back when everyone had enough to eat and didn't starve, back when citizens were citizens, and gunslingers were gunslingers."

Everyone nodded, but then noticed Kinski. "What about him?" asked a person from the crowd angrily. Everyone glared up at Kinski. Kinski shifted nervously on the top of the sand dune. He still had his hand over his wound. Questions were heard from the crowd, concerned how Kinski was with us and not where he was supposed to be. Rango waved his hands in front of him, "N-no! not him! He's fine, he has changed. He is on our side," Rango explained.

"I don't believe it," said a person in the crowd.

"He's evil,"

"He's still part of Bad Bill's gang,"

"He's gonna betray us,"

"He's a spy! He's Bad Bill's spy!" said another. Everyone agreed and started getting apprehensive. Kinski snarled, "Believe vhat ze sheriff said! I'm as pissed off at Bill as you guys are! He 'as betrayed me and 'as damaged me ze same way he 'as damaged all of you!" Kinski screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Why should we trust you?" asked Elgin crossly, who stood in front of the crowd. Kinski opened his mouth, then closed it. The crowd roared angrily and started to approach him with guns and knives. "Because I trust him!" I yelled, stepping in front of Kinski. Everyone stopped. Their eyes widened. Everyone went dead silent. I had my wings spread out, protecting the hunchback jackrabbit.

_The crowd was dumbfounded at Banshee's action Actually trusting one of Bad Bill's gang members? It was absurd. _

Just then, something started coming out from the crowd. It was Petunia. Petunia's family gasped as the five year old girl made her way out of the crowd and up the sand dune toward us. "Petunia! come back here!" said Mrs. Rodent. Stub tried to grab her but she was far beyond his reach. Everyone was dead silent as they watched the little rodent made it up the sand dune. She paused for a minute to brush the mixed soils from her dress and kept walking. She walked past me and up to Kinski. I lowered my wings and turned my head.

Kinski stared down at the little girl blankly, then to the crowd. Petunia reached up and held Kinski's hand. Everyone below flinched, their eyes widened. Petunia turned to the crowd. "I trust him too," she said. Petunia's family's mouths dropped open in shock. Their faces were full of terror.

Kinski stared down at the girl sadly. By the looks on everyone's faces, the little girl was just making everyone tense. Silently he gently picked her up and walked down the dune to Petunia's parents. Everyone snapped out of their state of shock and took a step back from the hunchback jackrabbit. Kinski stopped a couple feet from Petunia's parents. He held the little girl out to them. Mr. and Mrs. Rodent hesitated, then grabbed their little girl from him. They held their little girl tightly and stared up at the hunchback jackrabbit. Kinski didn't bother to read their faces as he sauntered back up the dune. The crowd stared at Kinski, not sure what to think. Finally, Rango broke into the awkward silence.

"Er, as I was saying, if we want to fight Bill's army, we're gonna have to work together. We dont have enough to be called an army, but its enough," Rango said, smiling a warm, zombie smile. Everyone exchanged glances. Kinski stopped and stood next to me on the sand dune. His eyes hidden behind his long bangs.

Suddenly, Waffles started jumping up and down excitedly, "Oh! Oh! I know! I know where we could get an army!" the small lizard said excitedly. We all focused our attention to Waffles. "How?" asked Mr. Furgus. Waffles smiled, "We ask the mutants! The mutants! Balthazar and the weird Prairie Dogs in their territory!" he said happily. Everyone exchanged glances and murmured amongst each other. The citizens weren't so sure about joining forces with the mutants.

Rango settled the crowd down and cleared his throat, thus making his neck snap. Everyone cringed in disgust. Rango apologized and clicked his neck back. "Since I'm sheriff, I'll decide what should happen. I think Waffles' idea of asking the mutants to join forces with us is a fantastic idea. Therefore, Banshee, you and I shall fly over to their territory and convince them to join us and help take down Bill's rein," said Rango.

Everyone got excited at the mention of taking down Bill's rein. _The Dark Ages will finally come to an end, and all the citizens of Dirt would finally be free_. Then Rango smiled and looked over the crowd, "We'll be back, and I promise all of you, we _will_ take down Bill and his City once and for all." everyone cheered. I cheered as well. Kinski removed his hand from his side and clapped his hands, but then stopped and placed his arm back to his side. He looked down at the ground.

_The thought of betraying his old friends and possibly killing them really got himself wishing that Bill never killed Rango in the first place. The whole thought was a mess. He didn't like the situation he was in. He wished it was all just a horrible nightmare..._

Kinski looked up "I'm comin' too," said Kinski, snapping out of his thoughts. Rango looked up at the hunchback jackrabbit and shook his head, "No, we need you to stay behind, I am leavin' you, and Beans in charge of the town while Banshee and I are gone," said Rango. Kinski stopped in his tracks. "V-vhat?" he stuttered. Zombie Rango turned to the hunchback jackrabbit, "Yer in charge of the people while I'm gone," repeated Rango. Kinski blinked, "N-no, I …I c-can't," he muttered nervously, then looked over at the crowd. Rango hesitated, then carefully placed a rotten hand on Kinski's shoulder. "I trust you, " he said smiling. Kinski looked down at the zombie sheriff.

_The sheriff trusted him as well? After all the times he has mistreated the sheriff and the citizens? Kinski almost started to take back all the times he called the sheriff a lousy, narcissist, wimp of a lizard…with more harsh words in the mix. The sheriff wasn't as bad as he thought he was…and the citizens as well. He was given a second chance to make things right, and possibly start over and live the life he deserved. To not be thought of as a freak, misunderstood, or a bad guy. _

_Rango felt his deflated stomach lurch in his body. He never thought he had the guts to say those words to the hunchback jackrabbit. Rango didn't trust Kinski, but after seeing him save their lives and not show any sign of betraying or killing him, he felt that the rabbit was trustworthy...that, and Kinski needed more people to trust him. _

Kinski looked down at the ground, hiding behind his bangs, and gave the sheriff a small nod. Rango patted his shoulder. "Good." Then the undead lizard spun around and briskly walked over to me. "We'll be back before you know it," I said in general. Kinski looked up at me, just as I transformed into The Nightmare.

Zombie Rango waved goodbye to everyone and climbed up onto my back. Everyone watched as I flapped my huge, massive wings, and took off, over the desert land, off toward the beautiful fiery sunset, toward the Prairie Dog territory…

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**Chapter 19 is being worked on as I write this. :) School is such a pain. The chapters will pick up pace and will have more action and more interesting things going on. Thank you and have a nice day :)**


	19. Chapter 19: Real vs Rumor

"This is quite a spectacular sight, we should start riding bats instead of roadrunners," commented Rango. We flew over the desert landscape and towering cacti. The sun started to set and the winds started to pick up. I just nodded my head to Rango's comment and kept flapping my wings. Rango kept talking, "Yeah, it would make trips a lot shorter." He kept talking about bats till he couldn't think of anything else to say. After a couple minutes of silence, the zombie started up another subject.

"You like Kinski, don't you?" he asked. My body started to heat up, even though we were flying against the freezing cold winds. Rango continued, "It's all right, I won't tell anyone, its just that... when we were back on the sand dune, you were the first person to say that you trusted him... I saw a spark-" he said but stopped in mid sentence when I took a dive down, closer to the canyon ridges. Rango yelped and held on to his hat with one hand and gripped my mane with his other. When I straitened out again Rango loosened his grip.

"All right, I'll stop talkin' about him," he said. I nodded, glad that he understood. After a while, my wings started to get heavy and I needed to take a rest. We landed and I turned back to my normal self. Rango placed the purple shawl over me that was from the elderly woman. I thanked him and pulled it closer to me. My wings gave off little sharp stabs of pain from the whips. We sat on the cold dirt ground and watched the sun slowly set. I averted my eyes away from the sun and just uprooted the small dead plants from the ground with my wings.

After a couple minutes of silence, Rango asked me about the rumors. "There are all kinds of rumors, for everyone and everything," I said. Rango's eyes widened, "Everyone and everything has a rumor in the town?" he asked. I nodded. Rango blinked and let my words sink in to his mushed zombie brain. He rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. Then he snapped his head up to me, "Tell me the rumors, I want to catch up on some things," he said.

So I did. I told him all the rumors I knew. "What about the prairie dogs?" he finally asked. I told him about the rumor I heard about the prairie dogs attacking the bats and creating deranged freaky looking mutants, and how once in a while, the rebels and I would see them attack Bill's hotel.

"Oh, so that's what was making all that noise above my cell," said the zombie sheriff. I didn't respond. I kept picking the dirt with my wings. Rango cocked his head and watched the sunset. "What about you?" he asked, "How did ya turn into that…huge wild bat?" he asked. I sighed and stopped picking at the ground. "The Nightmare, we called it The Nightmare. The creature that we thought was a blessing from hell, the creature from the Prairie Dog Territory, a mistake in nature. It would come and destroy Bill's hotel as well, the "secret weapon"…I have no idea how I became this…Nightmare, but it's what I am," I said. Rango looked at me. Then he looked at the ground as well, "I'm sorry," he said. I shrugged, "It's not your fault, it just happened," I said. Rango nodded.

**…**

The sun was halfway gone over the mountains when we decided to continue on. I transformed. Rango retrieved the shawl from the ground and climbed on. I flapped my wings and took off. We didn't say anything as we flew over the land.

Suddenly a gunshot broke the silence. Before I could do anything, I felt a bullet graze the surface of my wing. I screeched and curled my wing closer to me. My body tilted to the side and crashed into the ground. Rango's hands gripped my fur tightly. Instantly he was flung off. My left shoulder made contact with the desert land. Sliding and digging deep into the cold, compacted earth. Rango was sprawled face down into the ground, five feet from me. I screeched in pain, wrapping my normal wing around my wounded wing.

Rango groaned and sat upright, rubbing his squishy bug infested head. He suddenly gasped when a loud hissing sound echoed into the cold atmosphere, sending chills down our backs. The sound of a metal rattle was heard close to us. "Itsssssss been a long time, '_brother'" _said a spine twisting voice. Rango jerked his head to where the voice was coming from and jolted. "J-Jake!" stuttered the undead sheriff. The huge rattlesnake appeared in front of us. I shifted uncomfortably, but stayed in my Nightmare transformation. We both stared at Jake in shock.

Jake has changed since we last saw him. To me, he looked like a cyborg. He had a glowing red right eye, his mouth looked like it got ripped upward with a knife, and was stitched back to its original stretch point. He had metal patches and soup cans that was stapled into his flesh. Dry blood stained the sides of the cans, and what I have noticed is that he was ripped in half, that's why he had the cans… to keep his body together. He looked even more creepy then before. The rumor on him was that he left to a different place to find more souls to collect...something seemed wrong. I thought he was supposed to be an immortal and be able to fix himself...

Rattlesnake Jake glared down at us. "What're you lookin' at?!" he snapped at us. Rango and I averted our eyes from him. Jake glared down at Rango. Realizing that something was wrong with the sheriff. He looked different. "What happened to you, sheriff? Did ya get run over by a car?" he snickered and rattled his tail gun. Sheriff Rango shook his head. "I-I'm d-dead…the und-dead," he said almost in a whisper. Jake hissed angrily, revealing a mouth of sharp teeth and two long fangs.

"Speak up!" he hissed. Rango glared up at Jake, "I'm the undead! The undead!" he screamed. Jake was taken aback from the lizards loud response. He shifted, his tin cans scraping against the sharp stones. "The undead huh? Well, we'll see about that," Jake cocked his tail gun and shot Rango in the chest. Rango gasped and looked down. His stomach shattered away, leaving a hole. Rango looked up at the cyborg rattlesnake. Rattlesnake Jake stared at the zombie sheriff, then shook his head angrily, as if he had seen the undead a thousand times and it bored him to tears.

"Where did ya say you were goin'?" asked the cyborg. Rango looked up at the shifting snake, trying not to stare too long. "W-we're goin' to th-the P-prairie Dog T-territory…t-to ask them I-if they'd l-like to join th-the r-rebellion ag-gainst B-Bad Bill," stuttered the lizard. Jake sneered and shifted his eyes from Rango to me. "You… and Banshee, right?" he asked. Rango nodded his head. "Y-yes, B-Banshee and I," he said.

Jake stared down at me. Noticing that I have changed since we last met. "I sssee you've grown," Jake said and snickered. My ears went back and I looked away. I started to lick the blood from my shoulder blade. Jake shifted his eyes back to Rango. Rango looked up at Jake.

"Y-you should join our rebellion, be on our side against B-Bill and defeat him," said Rango. Rattlesnake Jake hissed angrily and shifted his half metal body. "I ain't siding with you good people! I saw yer so-called "army". You folks don't even stand a chance!" the cyborg hissed and bared his teeth. Rango clenched his fists. "Then you should help us! We would gain a better advantage with you if you were to join," Rango snapped, but then shrunk down in fear when Jake loomed over the small lizard. He felt the glowing red eye burn into his soft peeling skin.

Jake hissed and bared his teeth again. "I'll never side with you!" he shouted, then he turned away. Rango fumbled his fingers nervously, looking down. "J-just th-think about it…I would think you would w-want to go against B-Bill," added Rango. Jake stopped slithering. Rango gulped, but continued, "Bill is starting to gain…he's starting to be the most feared, the most successful…yer hiding, because of what happened to you, yer not coming out from hiding…From what I see, yer just a coward, Bill is more feared now then you," The cyborg snake didn't turn around. Rango sighed, briskly walked over to me and jumped on. He gripped my mane with his decomposing hands.

"Lets go," he whispered impatiently. I looked over at the abused snake one more time before flapping my wings and taking off. Leaving the rattlesnake outlaw alone with his thoughts…

...

After a couple more minutes, we finally entered the Prairie Dog Territory. I flew lower along the bottom of the canyon. Rango looked ahead. Even though he was a zombie, I could feel the palms of his hands sweat. As we got closer and closer to the end of the canyon where the prairie dogs and mutants lived, Rango and I both had the same nerve racking feeling that some one was watching us. The sun disappeared over the horizon. It was dark, i could barely see a thing.

Suddenly, without warning, I heard a lot of high deranged screeches above us. Rango screamed in horror as four mutants landed on top of my back and attacked him. The weight of the mutants made me crash and roll along the hard ground. I screeched. Pain shot up and down my wings. (Today just wasn't a good day for me.) I looked around in the darkness, trying to look for Rango, but was instantly shoved to the ground.

Ropes wrapped around my huge massive wings. I heard a lot of whoops and hollers as a whole swarm of prairie dogs came rushing over and jumped on top of me, trying to keep me down. I screeched, sending a couple hillbilly dogs back, and struggled to break free. The dogs gripped the ropes that held me and kept me steady. I screamed and bit the ropes, but it was no use.

Suddenly I head gunshots and Rango screaming. "Rango!" I screamed, but it came out as an animalistic roar. I jerked my head up and stretched my wings out, sending all the dogs crashing and rolling. I shook the ropes away and crawled my way to the undead sheriff. The sheriff got shot a couple more times in the stomach and the head but he still kept moving. The prairie dogs were dumbfounded how the lizard could still keep moving, even though he got shot. I screamed the approaching prairie dogs away. They were sent flying back. I huffed angrily. Rango stood next to me, shaking nervously. "M-maybe w-we should come b-back another t-time-" he started.

Suddenly, a couple hundred filthy hands shot up from underneath us and grabbed our legs. Rango screamed in horror. I screamed as well and tried flapping my wings, but five hundred hands kept them pinned down. Rango's feet snapped off, causing the hillbilly dogs, who had his feet, freak out and let go. Rango crashed to the ground. Dirty arms stretched over him and held him down. Rango screamed and struggled, but it was no use. "Banshee! Help!" he screamed. I snarled and snapped at the hands gripping my fur. A couple broke loose but others still held on.

When it all seemed that there was no hope in escaping, a loud familiar voice cracked through the fighting atmosphere. "Release 'em!" Instantly, the hands loosened their grip and went back into the earth from whence they came. Rango sighed with relief and retrieved his feet. He snapped them back on and rotated them to make sure they could still work.

Balthazar appeared in front of us. Even after five years, he still somewhat looked the same. He wore the same long dirty white long undershirt with a moth eaten light blue sweater. He wore his worn, chewed black hat and sandals to cover his feet. He carried a twisted walking stick. A piece of linen was tied around his eyes. He leaned against his cane and sniffed the air and smiled, revealing a mouth full of sharp rotten teeth.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to come into our humble home," Balthazar chuckled. I changed back into my normal size. Rango picked up the purple shawl from the ground and placed it over my shoulders. I thanked him and tightened the shawl around me tightly. Rango and I got up from where we sat and faced the leader of the prairie dogs. "H-hello Balthazar-" started Rango.

"Can it sheriff! What're you two doin' 'ere? How long has it been? Three years? Five years?" he asked angrily. "Five years," I answered. Balthazar snapped his head toward my direction and grinned. "Really? That long? My doesn't time fly," he said.

Rango cleared his bacteria infested throat. A couple of flies and mucus flew out in the process. "Balthazar, sir, we have come to ask you some personal business and hope that you and yer mutant family will come to an accord and accept to the alliance," said Rango. Balthazar scratched his head and rested his hands on his twisted walking stick, letting Rango's complicated words sink into his cranium.

"Alliance huh," he asked.

"Bad Bill took over the town," I said. Balthazar narrowed his eyes. "I heard he made his own nest there," he snarled, then jerked his head back to Rango. "And where were you all that time? Gettin' yer shoes shined?!" snapped Balthazar. Rango jumped when Balthazar snapped at him. "N-no, it's a long story-," started Rango. Balthazar bared his teeth. "And why do ya smell funny? Did somethin' die in yer shirt?" the blind mole rat asked. Rango shook his head. "No, no. Its also a long story, but let's please stay on task, will you and yer mutant family join us?" Rango asked.

Balthazar sneered, "What's this "mutant" word you keep usin?" he snarled, starting to feel insulted. Rango opened his mouth and spoke. "Yer family. Rumors have come around that yer family…attacked the bats and have created these deranged, no offense, half bat, half prairie dog creatures, otherwise known as…mutants," Rango explained. Balthazar's face flickered with anger, confusion and surprise. Finally Balthazar spoke. "Well, sorry but, yer wrong, that's not what _exactly _what happened," he said. I raised an eyebrow, "Then what happened?" I asked. Balthazar sighed and thought a moment.

"Started a few years back…we at first thought theys was just gettin sick from the heat," The blind mole rat said. "What _really _happened was that no good Gila Monster dumped his damn trash in our place, one of our pregnant bats got to it, got real sick. Gave birth to a disgusting offspring," snarled Balthazar. Rango blanched and I felt my stomach twist. Balthazar sniffed the air and continued, "We didn't know until a couple months later, we had a diseased creature runnin' amok. Every time it appeared, it bit some of my family members. Then, half of our family was…I guess what ya call a "mutant"" said Balthazar.

Rango and I exchanged glances. "Oh, well now it makes a whole lot of sense," I said. Balthazar nodded. "It better," he said firmly. Rango rubbed his chin, then looked up at Balthazar. "Somethin's still rattlin' around in my brain...why do you keep attackin' Bill's huge hotel then?" the zombie asked. Balthazar turned his head to the undead sheriff and snarled. "Because he started this mess!" screamed the blind mole rat. Rango's eyes widened and placed his moldy hands up. "…All right then," said Rango.

I looked down at my wings and thought a moment. _Did that mean I was a "mutant" as well? Why I always transform into The Nightmare? It had to be. _

"Is the creature still here?" I asked. Balthazar calmed down and leaned against his walking stick. "No, I heard that it escaped and flew over to yer area. Never seen or heard from again…why? Did any of ya's git bitten?" he asked. "Yeah, I think I did," I answered. Balthazar nodded. "Well, don't know what to say but, yer stuck like that…"Balthazar said, nodding but then gritted his teeth. "No good bastard that Bad Bill is," he mumbled angrily, then he lifted his head to us. "My family and I would love to take him down. We'd be much obliged to join yer alliance," Balthazar said.

With that he turned around and hollered something. Within seconds a whole swarm of prairie dogs riding on bats and mutants came flying out. They landed around Balthazar. We took a step back, Balthazar heard us and grinned. Then I noticed someone familiar land next to Balthazar. "Kaliah!" I screeched happily and ran up to her. Kaliah turned blindly to me and smiled.

"_Banshee! What're you doin' here? How long has it been?" _she started asking me. I just smiled and wrapped my wings around her. "It's a long story, I'll tell you along the way," I said.

* * *

**Crazy reunion. Hope no one minds a "cyborg" rattlesnake. Thought it would be cool, and would set up for another thing...hopefully. Anyway, Hope you enjoyed. :)**


	20. Chapter 20: Small Miracles

_Back at the outskirts of Bill's City…_

_Kinski had his right hand up to shield his eyes from the sun as he searched the skies. The sun started to set, which made his stomach turn. Then he turned back to the small army. They all averted their eyes from him, but Kinski knew they were thinking of killing him. He didn't belong with these people, he was different, they would never accept him, even if he was the only living thing for miles. _

_Beans told the small army to just sit, it was the only thing they could do right now. They couldn't go back and get weapons, couldn't find a place to hide; their only option was to sit on the ground and wait for Rango and Banshee to come back. Kinski didn't say anything, he just let her give orders. He turned back, shielding his eyes from the rays of light, and looked up at the sky once more. He lightly rubbed his face where he got hit with the whip. The blood was dried up, and a scar was forming. He stopped rubbing it when a small stab of pain streaked across his face._

_-Beans noticed the nerve twitching hunchback jackrabbit still standing alone on the hill. She hesitated before cautiously walking up to him. She noticed Kinski's ears twitch at the sounds of her footsteps. He slowly brought his right arm down and stiffened when she approached him. His left was still crossed over his wound._

_Kinski has known Beans since the first day he arrived into town with his friends. She despised him, especially when he pestered the citizens. He thought it was hilarious, but he remembered her enraged face, and her sharp tongue. He always felt small around her, but never showed it. He narrowed his eyes at the sky, pretending that she wasn't standing next to him. _

_-Beans looked up at the sky as well. Curious on what the deranged hunchback jackrabbit was thinking. She never liked the rabbit. She always thought he was obnoxious and acted like a child. Always drunk, always giving others misery. He was a strange creature…_Who the hell would consider him attract_- Beans bit her tongue. _Right_, she thought. Banshee thought different about him. He was different…is that what made him attractive? Or was it something else that she couldn't see? Why didn't she see it when Banshee brought the creature into the Rebel home?_

_Suddenly, Beans' thoughts were interrupted when she heard something behind her. She turned and noticed Petunia walking up the sand hill to Kinski. Kinski felt Petunia's hand touch his pant leg. He jolted and looked down at her. Petunia smiled and touched his hand. Beans looked at the five year old girl, then up to the hunchback jackrabbit. She noticed Kinski's face flicker different emotions. She saw his eyes shift from the girl, then to her. Beans quickly looked away, pretending not to notice. At the corner of her eye, she saw Kinski relax his furry hand. Petunia reached up and held his hand. Beans smiled. Kinski slightly turned his head, noticing Beans smiling._

_The cute awkward moment was destroyed when the two adults and child heard the sounds of screeching, yelling, and excited shouts. The small army behind Kinski, Petunia, and Beans started cheering excitedly. "They're here!" someone shouted happily. _

The mixture of mutants, prairie dogs, and bats landed in front of the approaching crowd. Rango jumped down from my back. Beans ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his decomposing body. I stayed in my Nightmare form as people cautiously came up to observe my transformation. They were hesitant at first, but then reached up and ruffled my fur. The citizens recognized me through the masked form and continued to pet me as if I was a creature at a petting zoo. I looked up and noticed Petunia pulling Kinski's hand over to me. I smiled when they approached me. The citizens moved away when Kinski appeared. Petunia smiled up at me with amazement. "Wow! That's a big bat!" she said. Kinski nodded. Petunia came up to me and ran her fingers along my mane, then along my face.

"That's Banshee, right?" she asked, turning back to the hunchback jackrabbit. Kinski nodded again. Petunia smiled, then broke away and pulled Kinski closer to me. "Come on Kinski! Touch her fur, it's soft," she giggled and ran her fingers over my mane again. Kinski looked up at me, hesitant at first, but then reached up with his free shaky hand and lightly ran his fingers over my neck, close to my right ear. He smiled a small smile. His phalanges sank deeper in my fur, he seemed transfixed with the touch.

Instantly, he snapped out of his reverie and noticed everyone else who was petting me, looking at him. He quickly snapped his hand back to his side and moved away. I changed back and wrapped the purple shawl around myself. Everyone stopped petting me, but were still fascinated about my ability to transform.

...

Later on, the night came, the clouds covered the sky, thus covering the stars and moon. Balthazar, Rango, Beans, Kinski and I, all gathered around in a circle, away from the others. We all sat around an old cactus stump, and sitting on top of it was a lit lantern, letting off enough light to reveal everyone's faces in the pitch black night.

"All righ' now," started Balthazar, "I want to first know abou' this "hotel," want to know what the hell this thin' is," he said. There was an awkward pause for a split second, then Rango finally spoke. "Well, its…a hotel, a huge tall building, almost as big as a canyon…well in my point of view, and it has all these strange rooms with monstrous long tongues comin' out wantin' to eat you!" Rango gestured his hands around frantically and his voice raised in the process. We all stared at the zombie sheriff for a minute. Beans rolled her eyes, Kinski spat the ground, I looked down at my wings, and Balthazar's eyes behind the cloth seemed to be narrowed. "That doesn't help us in the least!" snapped the blind mole rat. Rango closed his mouth.

Kinski blew his long bangs from his eyes and glared at us. He sighed angrily, "Is thirty stories high, it holds a collection of ze wild kind, zere are about one hundred security men, it has over six hundred rooms, and zere's a pool on ze roof," he said in one sitting. Beans, Rango's and my eyes widened in surprise. Balthazar's blind glare disappeared and his cracked mouth turned upward into a sneaky evil grin. "Now _that _gets us somewhere," he said, "anythin' else?" he asked. Kinski looked down at his hands and licked his lips, thinking. "…no, not at ze top of my head," he said. Balthazar nodded. "That's fine."

"Are there any servants or slaves in the hotel?" asked Beans. Kinski shook his head. "No, ve don't allow servants, Bill's afraid zey may listen in on 'is plans and possibly ruin it by tellin' everyone else," he said. Rango scratched his head, and as he did, little green and brown flakes fluttered down to the ground,

"What happens if you want yer clothes washed or your food prepared?" he asked. Kinski didn't answer him right away. His bangs fell over his left eye. "Ve don't care fer zat, ve-er-_zey_ have food all laid out fer zem on zat table, Banshee knows," he added. I looked up from my wings. Balthazar frowned, something in his face said that he caught something in Kinski's words.

"You were one of them, weren'tchya boy," said Balthazar, not a question. Kinski stared at the blind mole rat. "…Maybe," he said. Balthazar gripped his walking stick tightly. "Yer that annoyin' one, aren'tchya, yer not soundin' like it now, but I can tell," he said. Kinski growled. I knew what Balthazar was talking about. Just because he was blind, didn't mean he couldn't tell one person from the other.

Beans interrupted the quarrel. "It don't matter none anymore, Kinski is on our side, and we trust 'im," she said firmly. The two male adults turned their heads away, but each still had a scowl on their faces.

"Where are Bill, Stump and Chorizo going to be when we are blowing up their hotel?" I asked. Kinski's scowling face changed. He rolled his eyes. "Oh, if ve're lucky, zey'll be outside ze hotel golfin'… I hate golf," Kinski muttered under his breath. "Where?" asked Beans. Kinski pointed out toward the open desert. "Somevhere over zere," he said. Balthazar placed both dirty hands on his walking stick and leaned on it. "Well, that's fine an' all… but my concern is the hotel. We're gonna need more ammo if we want to take down this thirty story building," said Balthazar. Kinski's ears perked up. "Take it down?" asked Kinski. Balthazar jerked his head to where he heard Kinski's voice. "Yeah, I plan on takin' that thin' down," he explained. Kinski blinked. Balthazar continued.

"You and Banshee I'm thinkin' should be teamed up. To be part of the let go of a big drop. Right when y- what's yer name, boy?" asked Balthazar, interrupting himself. "…Kinski," said Kinski. Balthazar repeated his name, thinking for a minute, then shrugged and continued on. "Kinski and Banshee fly over and drop the…dynamite, or something e-" started Balthazar. "fireverks?" asked Kinski. Rango and Beans exchanged confused glances. _What was the crazy loon talking about? _

Balthazar turned his head back to Kinski. "If it blows things up, then yes, bring it along too," he said. Kinski flashed me a mischivous grin. "Let's go," he said to me. I got up and we both walked toward Market Street...

_At Market Street… _

"Ah hello Miss Banshee and-" started Gerald. "Yes, hi Gerald, we need to talk to you about something," I said, interrupting the old rodent. Gerald stopped smiling, knowing that I was serious about this. "What?" he asked. Kinski slammed his hands down on the table. "Vere are yer fireverks?" he asked firmly, but the corner of his mouth twitched. Gerald's eyes widened as his eyes shifted to the back of his little stand. "I…I h-have no idea what you s-" started Gerald nervously. He was hiding something.

Before I could say anything else, Kinski jumped over the table, pushed Gerald aside, and went to the back where he was looking. "No! Stop!" screamed Gerald and followed after the hunchback jackrabbit. Kinski looked around in the back. Suddenly he stopped and stomped his foot where he stood. He looked down and removed the rug from under his feet, revealing a trapdoor. Gerald began speaking in rapid Chinese angrily. He tried pushing Kinski away from the trapdoor. Kinski sighed in annoyance and grabbed the scruff of the short rodents collar.

"Kinski-" I started. Kinski staggered over to me and dropped the yelling rodent. "Vatch 'im, he needs a babysitter" he smiled and winked at me. I just stood there with my mouth slightly open, but then it closed and changed into a smile. I shook my head. Then Kinski went back to the trapdoor. Gerald stopped screaming and went quiet. We both watched.

Kinski gasped in excitement and pulled out crates and crates of fireworks. "Zis is gonna be fun, yeah?" Kinski turned and asked me in his German accent. He had a huge grin on his face. I saw his left eye twitch. I smiled, then turned to Gerald, who stared down at the ground, "I bring great disappointment to my family," said Gerald sadly. "What do you mean?" I asked. Kinski came up to me and handed me a box of fireworks. He was snickering excitedly the whole time.

Gerald looked over at the overexcited jackrabbit as he got more boxes of explosive fireworks. "Please dont turn me in...Those illegal fireworks, I promised parents I would get rid of them by selling them in America," he said. I looked down at the box Kinski gave to me. _Illegal fireworks? Gerald was trying to get rid of illegal fireworks? I never knew that. What other secrets was Gerald hiding from us? _I shook the thoughts from my head and looked down at the old rodent.

I smiled, "Don't worry, you wont bring disappointment to your family," I said. Gerald looked up at me. "What do you mean?" he asked. Kinski came back with another box of fireworks. "Ve're gonna to git rid of 'em for ya!" answered Kinski for me. Gerald gave us a confused look. I looked around to see if any of the Security men were around before giving out classified information to the old rodent. "We are starting up a rebellion," I whispered. Gerald's eyes widened.

"Really?" he asked. I nodded. After a couple seconds, Kinski broke the serious discussion when he started to touch my ears and laugh mischievously. I flicked his hand away from me. Gerald scratched his head. "What do you plan to do with fireworks?" asked Mr. Shing. Kinski answered him by making loud exploding noises. I shushed him. Gerald looked at the deranged hunchback, then looked up at the dark, looming hotel. He looked back at us. "Where are others?" he asked. I pointed back over to the desert landscape. "We're hanging over there," I said. Gerald thought for a moment, smiled and nodded.

...

Kinski and I said goodbye as we left Gerald's stand and walked toward the desert wasteland. Good thing Mr. Shing's stand was at the end of Market street and was the closest to the desert or we would have had some problems. Kinski had three boxes. Two in his arms, and one teetering on top. I carried two boxes, one stacked on top of the other. I looked up at Kinski, suddenly realizing he wasn't wincing in pain or anything. I looked down at his wound...or where his wound once was. The blood and open bullet hole where his guts opened up was gone. His shirt was fine…as if it never happened. Even the scar from the whip. It was gone as well. I stared at him for a minute, then shook my head. I decided not to worry about his wounds. The important thing was, that they healed...

When we came back with the boxes of fireworks, everybody was sitting on the ground. Tired and hungry. I noticed Petunia petting Kaliah. Balthazar was talking to Rango and Beans. Ricochet was talking to Priscilla. Stub was picking at the dirt on the ground. The rest of the posse was scattered everywhere among the mix of prairie dogs, mutants, and bats. We dropped the boxes of fireworks in front of Beans, Rango, and Balthazar. Balthazar's head jerked up. "What was that?" he asked.

Everyone's head snapped up as well and turned in our direction. Kinski picked up a firework and tossed it up and down in his hand. A huge grin spread across his face. A couple people came over and looked in the boxes. "Fireworks?" asked the puzzled undead sheriff. Beans frowned. "What are fireworks gonna do?" she asked. Kinski glared at her angrily, "Zey aren't _just _fireverks," he snarled angrily. Rango looked down at them again, rubbing his cracked, peeling chin.

" Well…what are they then? Are they like dynamite?" the zombie asked. Kinski took a deep breath and calmed down. He dropped the firework back into the box. He looked down at the fireworks and smiled. "Jes, zey are like dynamite. Zey do the same damage as dynamite," he said in his German accent. Balthazar came up to the boxes. He bent down and ran his fingers along the edge of the box, then picked a firework up. He turned the red cylinder around in his hands. A smile curled up on his face. "This could work, just enough," he said. Kinski smiled a pleased smile.

Just then, Ezekiel came up to Balthazar, behind him were a mixture of prairie dogs, mutants, and some Dirt citizens. "Um, pappy?" asked the little aviator goggle- wearing rodent. Balthazar got up and whipped his head around. "What is it, boy? Spit it out," he said angrily. Ezekiel hesitated then finally spoke. "W-we's was wonderin,' all of us," he gestured to the group behind him, "If there's was any food? We're all kinda hungry," he said. Balthazar opened his mouth, but then closed it.

Rango, Kinski, Beans, and I searched the sea of animals. Everyone was hungry. No one has had a decent meal in a couple days. We had to feed them, but there was no food. "We don't have any food to feed them," whispered Beans sadly to us. I looked down at the ground. Trying to think of a way to get food. Suddenly Kinski nudged my shoulder. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at him.

"What?" I asked. Kinski didn't look at me. He pointed where he was looking. I turned my head where he pointed. The City glowed dazzling colors, faint music flowed out of it, but that wasn't what Kinski was pointing at. I gasped happily and smiled up at Kinski. Kinski smiled back. It was Gerald, in the front of a group of traders from Market Street to where we were, all each carrying a box or two of food. It was a miracle. Everyone finally noticed them when they were seen in the lamplight. "Thought you'd guys need food," said Gerald smiling, handing us a box of food. Kinski held the box and looked down in it.

"Thank you Gerald," I said smiling. Gerald bowed. Kinski and I looked back and watched as the market traders handed boxes and crates of fruit, vegetables, meat, and other assorted goods to the army of misfits. My eyes scanned through the hungry army. They all were seen wolfing down fruit, gobbling down vegetables, devouring dairy and cramming meat into their dry mouths and filling their stomachs.

I found Ezekiel in the crowd, chewing sweet, fresh rations and smiling happily. He shared the box of fruit with his recent group that was with him. I looked around through the scattered dim light from the lanterns, eyeing my friends: Balthazar was handed a crate, he instantly felt around inside the box and pulled out an apple. "Kaliah, here girl," he called. Kaliah instantly came to her master and accepted the apple. Balthazar smiled and scratched behind her ear as she ate the apple.

Priscilla and Petunia shared a box, then Ricochet and Stub came along and they shared with them. Ricochet pulled out a handful of freshly washed strawberries, and instantly handed them over to Priscilla. Priscilla blushed, and ate them, and gave a couple to Petunia.

Rango accepted a box, but then handed it over to Beans. Beans raised her eyebrow. "You don't want any?" she asked. Rango smiled and shook his head, "I'm dead, I don't have to eat," he said. Beans gazed up at Rango and smiled, then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Gerald signalled for all the traders of Market Street to head on back home. Gerald said goodbye to us one last time and left with the traders till they were gone. I turned my head back to Kinski, who was now sitting cross legged on the ground. The box of food was in his lap, as he pawed through the assorted provisions. I sat down next to him and looked into the box as well. Kinski kept moving the fruit and vegetables around until his furry fingers finally closed around an apple of his delight. He grinned and instantly attacked it. He ate the whole thing, core, seeds and all.

Then he turned to me, finally noticing me there. Silently, he nudged the box, offering me to take anything from the box. I hesitated, then decided to eat something. I fished an apple out of the box and took a bite. I gazed out upon the huge misfit army before finally deciding to sit down and finished the rest of my apple.

...

After everyone was done eating, the Rebel army tried to sleep, but were too anxious and nervous to lay their heads. I just paced around, waiting for the morning to come. I yawned and rubbed my tired eyes. My stomach was twisting into thick knots. It was like waiting for your death sentence. We were all going to go into a war, and I was scared that everyone else and I, may not make it out alive. I turned my head and noticed Kinski standing alone, away from everyone. I didn't notice that he moved away from me, but I didn't care. I watched him as he pulled out his jacks and fumbled with them for a while.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I jumped and turned around. Beans faced me. "You should get some sleep," she said. My shoulders sagged and I looked down at the ground. "I can't," I said. Beans shook her head, "I don't believe that, yer gonna be tired tomorrow, you have to be ready," she said. I sighed, "I know, but…the thought of everyone getting into this battle. A lot of lives are going to be lost," I pointed out. Beans didn't say anything. She knew what I was meaning and felt the same way. Beans took a deep breath and exhaled. She placed a hand on my shoulder and looked straight into my eyes. "Everyone would be much obliged to give up their lives just so Bill wont be the ruler any more. We all want to make sure he never takes over our lives again."

With that, Beans took her hand off my shoulder and walked away. I looked over toward the bright, colorful city. The dark clouds hung over the beautiful city like thick curtains. Patches of sky started to come out and show parts of the starry sky, but disappeared again. I turned my head and looked over at the sea of misfits that we called an army. Their little campfires all burned out and sizzling in their little bundled stick homes. I found a couple members of the posse, laying their heads and drifting off to sleep.

In another section of the sleeping crowd, I found Petunia and Priscilla, curled up together for warmth. Rango and Beans slept next to each other as well in a different section. I shivered as a cold breeze rustled through my fur. I pulled the purple shawl tighter around me, but it wasn't that useful for the cold. My body shook as I stood there.

Suddenly, I felt something wrap around me. I eyed my shoulders and noticed a longsleeve shirt being placed over my cold wings. I turned around and faced Kinski. He took a step away from me and looked down at the ground. The top part of his orange jumpsuit was revealed. I could make out the words and the faded numbers on the orange material. My whole body burned from his kind gesture. Without saying anything, Kinski turned and walked away from me.

His longsleeve shirt that hung there on my shoulders didn't really help cover my wings, but it was big enough to wrap around me, almost like a blanket. I pulled it closer around me. The ripped openings and bullet holes on the longsleeve shirt didn't help much as the cold breeze weaved in and out through them, but I didn't mind. I could smell the faint foul smells of alcohol and dirt. Waves of heat washed over me. I suddenly felt like I was roasting in the longsleeve shirt, but I didn't take it off. I looked up at Kinski's silhouette where he stood atop the dune, and smiled.

* * *

**Apologies for the long chapters. I know this is a pain, having to read all these chapters... Hope you enjoyed and tell me what you thought. :)**


	21. Chapter 21: Colors of Fire

**Finally figured out how to give my chapters titles :) ...well, im sure I would've figured it out sooner, but I was a little lazy :P... Hope you enjoy. I'm trying not to make the chapters TOO long. On the word documents, they are about six pages long...anyway, enjoy :)**

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of excited murmurs, nervous small talk, and Kinski's insane laughter. I sat upright from the hard ground and squinted in the morning light. I looked around. Everyone was up. Some were eating what was left in the boxes as their breakfast. I picked out Kinski in the crowd, jumping around excitedly. His longsleeve dark blue shirt was back on him. He must have took it back when the sun started to come up. He came over to me. He laughed maniacally and jumped around me. Then, he grabbed my wing and helped me up in the process, but also threw me. I staggered but kept my balance. Kinski staggered away.

"Ya still need to keep that thin' on a leash," said a voice behind me. I spun around and faced Spoons. He gave me a smirk. I rolled my eyes and smiled. "He can't help it," I said, shrugging. Just then the rest of the posse came up to us. My heart stopped when I noticed something as they came up.

"What's that?" I asked, finally finding my voice. Stained in red cactus fruit, was this symbol. My symbol. Marked on shredded pieces of material, and raised high like flags. "It's our symbol, the Rebel Symbol," answered Mr. Furgus smiling. I felt my face burn. "W-what? Why? How?" I asked, dumbfounded. I would never think that anyone would use my symbol for something, especially for a rebellion, but why?

Wounded Bird looked down at me, his somber eyes went right through mine, as if reading my thoughts. "Symbols are important," he said. "with many meanings, could gain respect... and trust," he said. When he said the word, trust, I felt my heart explode. "Everyone agreed to make my symbol their symbol?" I asked. Ambrose smiled and waved his hand, gesturing behind me to the rebel army. "Why don't you see for yourself," he said. I turned around and felt like I was going to have a heart attack.

Everyone, citizens, mutants, and prairie dogs, all were using the bearing cactuswith fruit and painting the symbol onto bits of fabric, their bodies, bats, and anything else they could mark. The rebels graffittied themselves with the symbol. I turned and noticed Kinski a couple feet away from me.

He had a wide grin on his face. In his left hand, he held the shredded piece of fabric with my symbol on it that he used to convince me that he was on my side. Trust. I gapped at him. He convinced everyone to use my symbol as the Rebel symbol?! I was flabbergasted…and flattered. No one has ever done anything like that to me before. I stared at the hunchback jackrabbit.

Just then Balthazar stepped right in front of me. He sniffed the air and turned his head around. "All righ' let's git a move on! That building ain't gonna destroy itself!" he shouted to everyone. Everyone stopped playing around with the cactus fruit and started scurrying around to get into their groups and assigned positions.

...

It was already 7:55, just five more minutes till it officially began. Balthazar talked to Beans and Rango for a bit, then nodded his head in approval and blindly walked to Kaliah. He scratched behind her ear, then scratched her neck. After that he turned his head to everyone. They all looked at him. Balthazar hesitated, cleared his throat, and said a couple of words:

"To all of you, who are willing to fight fer yer freedom, and for the freedom of yer kin… loved ones… and future generations, I give my deepest thanks... now let's git out there and kick Bill's ass!" said the blind old preacher. Everyone gave out whoops and cheers to the small speech Balthazar just gave. Then Balthazar signalled the first group to go. The rebellion has begun.

I felt Kinski fidgeting excitedly on top of my transformed Nightmare form as we waited for our turn to go. My massive wings were down and rested at my sides on the ground. I could hear Kinski giggling through his clenched teeth, which was formed into a grin. The bats that stood next to him, started feeling uneasy and flapped their wings nervously. The riders on the bats gripped the reins and tried calming the wild bats down. I flicked my ear, lightly slapping Kinski's arm. Kinski stopped giggling and fidgeting as he leaned over and looked down at me.

Finally, Ezekiel came up to his father and told him that the groups have made it to the hotel. Balthazar turned his blind head to us, "Banshee? Kinski? Don't screw this one up," he said to us_._ _I felt so loved. _Then Balthazar threw his arm forward in a 'go' gesture toward the hotel. Kinski straightened back up. He saluted and laughed maniacally as I took off toward the looming hotel. Kinski's drooping ears flapped in the winds. His head was tilted a bit with his tongue sticking out. His right hand gripped a chunk full of my dark mane, while his left gripped the leather strap that connected to the huge satchel bag full of fireworks_. _

My eyes focused on the huge looming hotel. I flapped my massive wings and soared straight toward the building. As we got closer, Kinski started to rise up, giggling insanely through his grinning mouth and tensing up. When we got close enough to 'spitting range,' Kinski jumped forward. My heart skipped a beat when he landed in front of me and landed on the open window ledge. He jumped again through the open window and bolted down the hallway, dragging the bag full of fireworks with him. "Kinski! No!" I screeched, but my words came out in an animalistic roar. Kinski kept running and laughing.

I transformed and landed on the window ledge. My wing brushed against a soft, velvet, wine red curtain. I jumped down inside the room and ripped the curtain out of its ringlets. The gold ringlets and gold metal bar crashed to the floor. My ears went back in annoyance, then I draped the curtain over me. After securing it to my liking, I briskly walked down the heavily decorated hallway after the overexcited insane jackrabbit. I didn't know what was going on through Kinski's head at the moment, but it wasn't what we planned...

Kinski laughed maniacally as he skipped down the halls. When I caught up with him, I stopped and watched him. He danced around to the music only he could hear. Gradually, his playful actions started to change and become violent. He tipped over statues and let them fall to the cold marble floor. He ran his sharp nails across the expensive paintings, shredding the canvas. He ripped the red velvet curtains off the walls.

He dropped the bag of fireworks and started to destroy whatever he could get his hands on. He screamed with rage and threw his arms around in violent gestures. Stomping and kicking stands over that held glass objects. He snapped off a leg from a chair and started swinging it at porcelain pots and mirrors trimmed in gold. I stayed a good distance away from the insane jackrabbit.

Finally, Kinski stopped and slouched there in the middle of the destroyed room. Panting heavily. His tongue hung out of his dry mouth. His arms, sore and tired, laid limp next to him, and his left hand still held the leg of the chair. His head was hung low and his bangs fell over his eyes. I carefully walked up to him, being very cautious. I stepped over chunks of statue and shattered glass. I finally got to the rabbit and lightly placed my wing on his shoulder. Kinski flinched and jerked his head to me. His teeth were clenched and his eyes were wide with rage through his bangs.

He straightened up and became taller then me. He shook his head once to get his bangs out of his eyes and looked down at me. I took my wing off his shoulder, "Feel better?" I asked. Kinski didnt answer me. He looked down at the wooden leg of the chair in his hand and tossed it to the floor. Then he fished out his box of matches and struck one. He dropped it to the floor and a little fire started to burn on the wooden ground. The fire started to quickly spread.

"Now I do," he muttered. I moved away from him and picked up the bag of fireworks. I came back to the hunchback jackrabbit, extending my wing out with the strap connected to the bag for him to take. He accepted it and dumped the whole bag into the forming fire. The whole room erupted in an explosion of red and loud crackling noises popped and sparked in fury. We both turned and ran down the hallway as the huge fire exploded and gained on us.

As we ran, we passed by a couple hill- billy prairie dogs, and a couple citizens. They were done placing their dynamite and fireworks around the area. The prairie dog rodents were grabbing some nice expensive lamps, chairs, silverware, gold portraits and other exotic expensive luxuries. A couple citizens were destroying the walls and floor, and sometimes pocketing expensive pieces. "Get out! The building's about to go!" I screamed. The prairie dogs and citizens jumped at my shout and instantly started to scatter. Kinski grabbed my wing and started to lead me a different direction. "This way! Its faster," he yelled.

We ran down another row of hallways and up a couple twisting stairways. I could feel the heat of the flames on my back. They were close, and getting even closer. We kept running up the twisting stairs which felt like they would never end. Kinski and I both made it to a door at the top. Kinski kicked it open and we both bolted out into the blind morning sunlight. Kinski turned to the door and saw the flames engulfing the place already.

"Hurry! Transform!" he screamed at me. I closed my eyes tightly and gritted my teeth. I opened them again and loomed over Kinski. Kinski climbed up onto my back and kicked my sides to go. I lifted my huge massive wings and took flight. I flew as fast as I could away from the burning building. Suddenly, the whole building exploded in a fury of red and a huge cloud of smoke erupting up and a couple little ones on the side.

The explosion jerked me forward, causing my hearing to almost go out completely. I screamed and felt myself falling. "No!" screamed Kinski and wrapped his arms around my huge neck. The explosion sent another sonic wave, taking a blow to my front. I was getting beaten up by an invisible force. I couldn't do anything as we fell. Kinski started screaming something to me, but my ears were badly damaged, his voice was muffled. I turned my head and saw Bill's hotel explode and burst into a million dazzling bright colors of red, orange and yellow. The colors of fire. Down below, people were screaming out of the casinos and running for their lives as the hotel came crashing down. They all jumped on roadrunners and hightailed it right out of the city and out into the endless desert. The market traders and buyers of Market Street were already evacuating their part of the City and watching the action a good distance away.

Rooms of the hotel were destroyed from the inside out and the debris flew out of the shattered windows. The towering hotel buckled and started to slowly collapse. I regained my strength and flapped away from the building as it came coming toward us. Kinski gripped my neck tighter, and had his head down and eyes closed. He was scared. I couldn't blame him, I was too. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to out fly the hotel. More explosions went off behind us as I flapped my massive wings faster, even though they were burning and screaming, and about ready to fail on me. My wings screamed in pain. I felt the webbed leather flaps start to strain and the "seams" starting to stretch and rip like overused material.

Meanwhile…

_Bill, Stump, and Chorizo stood in their golf uniforms at their golf spot. Today was Golf Day for them. Right as Bill was about to hit a golf ball, he looked up and gasped. Stump and Chorizo turned and gasped as well. They watched in horror as their huge hotel started to explode and fall before their wide eyes. "Son of a b-" Bill said in anger, but was interrupted when a whole explosion of red erupted and what sounded like a whole bunch of guns going off, causing Bill and his short henchmen to fall to the ground in pain. Their hands clamped down upon their ears, screaming in agony. _

_After the painful ear treatment, fire sprang to life and engulfed the hotel. The squirming men opened their eyes and watched as the hotel went charred black and slowly came down. As the huge monstrous hotel came down, Bill noticed something flicker at the corner of his eye. Bill turned and noticed a huge monster bat, flying away from the collapsing hotel, but that wasn't the only thing that made him roar in rage. He noticed a certain figure riding on The Nightmare…a certain hunchback…_

* * *

_Kinski clamped one furry hand down over one droopy ear. His other hand gripped a fistful of Banshee's mane. He turned his head slightly to the left and noticed that Banshee's wing was tattered and bleeding. He turned his head to the right and saw the same damage. The ground was coming up fast, and Banshee didn't look like she knew what to do._

My wings were damaged, I was running out of ideas, there was no other choice. I quickly bucked Kinski off my back. He yelped as he crashed onto the roof of a nearby casino. He rolled along the roof and stopped, face down. He lifted his head up and winced in pain. I turned my head back to the front and braced myself. My wings tensed up and I ducked my head as I came in for a dive. My face made contact with the dirt on Main Street. I went somersaulting forward. My wings went over me a couple of times. I heard a couple crunching sounds of my bones as I ate mouthfuls of dirt and my nose filled with dust. I felt my huge body morph and change till I was back to my normal size. I slowed to a stop and just laid there in the middle of Main Street. My left wing was draped over my body, while the other one rested out to the side of me.

Everything on my body was bleeding, I could barely hear a thing, all the air had escaped out of my lungs, and I felt like I was having a seizure. I felt no pain. I couldn't blink as I stared up at the sky and at the corner of my eyes, I could see what was left of Bill's hotel: just a black pile with flames flickering around the edges.

Kinski somehow got off the casino roof I chucked him onto, and came running up to me. "Banshee!" he screamed and went down on his knees next to me. His twitching face had a couple cuts that were bleeding, but other then that, he was fine. He kept screaming and yelling, but his voice sounded as if he were whispering. I just blankly stared back at him. Kinski stopped screaming at me and stared back at me with a scared, worried look on his face. He was breathing heavily and his wide eyes looked like they were filling up with tears, but he choked them back. His furry hand hesitated, but then finally fell down at his side. My brain slipped in and out of consciousness. His face blurred then focused. I slowly shook my head, straining to remain conscious.

I finally blinked and felt all the pain come rushing to my body all at once. I groaned and winced in pain. Kinski sighed with relief and gently lifted me upright. I jerked and flinched in agony, but Kinski ignored it and placed my right limp wing over his shoulder, and placed his left over mine. He helped me up, being my support, and assisted me down the street. My legs felt like jelly and couldn't seem to support my body. Kinski dragged me along down the street, trying to find a place for me to rest.

Suddenly, we heard a gunshot go off behind us. Kinski whipped both of us around and looked down the street. Bill had his right arm up holding a gun. Smoke snaked out of the end with bitterness. Bill's outraged face was a deep shade of red. Next to him were his henchmen. Behind all three of them, was what was left of their precious hotel. Bill roared in rage, gesturing to his hotel, then pointing to us. I couldn't hear what he was saying, I'm sure it was mostly swear words. Kinski snorted and tightened his grip on me. I felt my face grow hot.

I looked back over at the three outlaws and noticed Bill, Stump, and Chorizo's outraged expressions change. Their faces were full of fear. The three bad guys took a couple of steps backwards and stared wide eyed in horror. Kinski slowly turned us back around again. We faced a whole army of hilly-billy prairie dogs, Dirtonians, mutants, and bats. Our army. Armed with weapons and ready to kick Bill's ass. A couple of creatures looked at me and gasped in shock. "Doc! Where's Doc!" shouted one of the Dirtonians. Finally, the one eared doctor was seen pushing his way to the front. "Out of the way everyone," he said. The crowd parted, letting the one eared doctor through.

As Doc approached, Kinski tensed up. Doc stopped and looked up at Kinski. "It's ok, I wont let her die," he promised. Kinski didn't relax. He narrowed his eyes and growled a low growl. I turned my head up to Kinski, "Kinski," I said weakly. Kinski looked down at me. "Let him help," I said, my voice was low and dull like a kitten's purr. Kinski hesitated, then finally lowered his head in defeat. Doc moved over to the shade under a casino building. "Place her over here," he told Kinski. The hunchback jackrabbit obeyed and carefully set me down.


	22. Chapter 22: Bloodshed

Bill's security men had all assembled behind Bill and were still multiplying. Guns loaded and aimed at our army. The rebel army screamed a battle cry and charged. Bill gritted his teeth as the rebel army was seen coming toward them. "Attack!" screamed Bill. His five hundred men screamed their own battle cry and charged toward the rebel army.

Kinski quickly stood up and whipped his gun out. Protecting us so Doc could heal me. I winced in pain as Doc rubbed medicine on my wounds. Doc ignored my yelps and wrapped bandages around my wings. Kinski kept turning his head to us. A bullet whizzed by his head, nearly grazing his face. Kinski snarled angrily, whipped back around and fired a couple rounds.

Rango and Beans stopped in front of us. Both the lizards carried shotguns. "Is Banshee ok?" asked Beans, looking over at me. Kinski turned his head back to me. "Yah, she's fine," he said, turning back to the tan female lizard and male zombie lizard. They nodded and ran back into the crowd of animals.

Hundreds of guns went off, but it was all muffled like the vibrations in the earth. I felt tears coming to my eyes. I have lost my hearing. The small continuous ringing sound I must have missed, was going off in my head.

More tears came down my face. When Doc was done wrapping my wings, he made me sit up and rest my back against the wall. He grabbed the purple shawl from the ground a couple feet from him and placed it over my shoulders. I thanked him and wrapped it around myself.

Kinski was five feet from us now. He scanned the battlefield. Bats, who were on fire, were shot down and came crashing down into nearby casinos, causing the buildings to burst into flames as well. A couple security men had flame throwers and were burning down the flying bats who came near them.

The prairie dogs aimed their rifles and fired a couple rounds into a white crowd of security men and pumped them full of lead. Buford and Elgin teamed up and punched the hell out of one security man. Punching him back and forth to each other. Wounded Bird used his rifle and fired a couple bullets into Bill's guards, then whacked them upside the head with his walking stick.

Priscilla, Stub and Ricochet stood in an outward circle as a group of white uniformed men circled them. Their guns raised at the teens. The three quickly exchanged glances before they ducked. The circle of guards fired, thus shooting each other in the face. The men screamed in pain and staggered blindly. The teens then got out of the circle and away from the battlefield.

A couple mutant prairie dogs transformed into huge hideous bat like creatures and attacked screaming uniformed men. They wrapped their huge massive wings around their prey and bit into their flesh and ate. Guts and blood spewed out from the bodies as they went limp and collapsed to the ground. The mutants roared and flapped their wings and went off to hunt for more men. Sadly a couple didn't get that far as they were shot down by some white uniformed men, and were burned down by some with flame throwers.

Spoons, Waffles, and Mr. Furgus tripped a couple security men. Mr. Furgus shot the one laying in front of him, then handed it to Spoons, who shot the guy who was laying in front of him, then to Waffles. The three were all sharing one gun. Spoons used up all his ammo in his gun already, and Waffles lost his gun when a group of prairie dogs bumped into him.

Then they all ran alongside each other, tossing the gun back and forth to each other, until finally Spoons grabbed a rifle from one of the dead uniformed men's body and started using that gun.

Above, Balthazar was giving orders to his family members on bats. "Circle the town and go for a Suicide Dive!" the old blind creature yelled. Kaliah screeched in agreement. "Ok pa!" shouted Jedadiah excitedly as he joined the circling group of bats. A couple prairie dogs looked up, noticed the forming air circle, and transformed to join the flight as well. The prairie dogs on their bats made a huge wide circle around the town and got their weapons ready. Slowly tightening their gaping circle.

...

_Bill snarled angrily where he stood. He looked up and noticed the bat circle, closing in fast. Then he pulled his own gun out of his pocket, aimed, then fired. His bullet whizzed upward and shot a bat. The bat screeched and blindly stopped in mid-flight, causing another bat to crash into it. _

_More bats crashed into the other bats, causing the creatures to crash and burn into casino buildings. Balthazar heard the bats crashing in mid-flight and cursed angrily. A couple prairie dogs were able to drop a couple sticks of dynamite and fireworks on top of Bill's men, and more casinos; making the battlefield a little bit wider. _

_The prairie dogs held on to their bats and fell to their deaths. A whole bunch of explosions went off. Fire spewed out from the destroyed charred buildings. A couple bats survived the crash and were shrieking and squirming violently in agony as flames flickered and blazed on top of their furry backs. Stump and Chorizo flinched and gasped in horror at the horrific scene that was bestowed upon their wide eyes; not sure whether to run like a bunch of yellow bellies, or face the flying bullets and rebel army like men._

_Suddenly, before the stumpy jackrabbit and shrew could even think, they heard a series of loud roars coming from behind them. They slowly turned and looked up with wide eyes full of fear. Bill lowered his gun and turned as well. _

_Suddenly, from the charred and burnt remains of their hotel, came a huge face of an animal. The wild kind. A huge coyote loomed over the three civilized gunslingers. Then, a huge toad came out from the coyote's right, then a huge vulture. A hawk took flight and soared over the town. _

_The wild creatures on the ground snarled and squinted their huge red eyes from the sun. They glared down at the battlefield. At the fighting creatures. At their dinner. Bill, Stump and Chorizo slowly moved away from the creatures and bolted away, to hide into the nearby casinos. _

Kinski gapped in horror as he watched the huge wild creatures come out from the debris... from the pits of hell. Suddenly, everyone saw the looming creatures and screamed in horror. Everyone started to scatter and duck for cover. The three wild creatures, as tall as buildings, roared and pounced on their running prey. _The posse shot a couple of rounds at the creatures, causing them to howl and rear back in pain. The coyote pounced on Buford, Ambrose, Elgin, and Waffles. Its' muzzle dripped with his own blood. The four men screamed in horror and pain as the coyote opened its mouth to revel a row of sharp yellow teeth. Suddenly, Rango, Wounded Bird, Beans, Mr. Furgus, Sergeant Turley and Spoons appeared in front of the coyote and fired. The coyote shrieked in pain and reared back. Lifting its massive paws from the four men. They all gasped for air and scrambled to their feet. _

_Suddenly, The coyote went back down on all fours, shaking it's head and whimpering in pain. The small bullets dug into its' flesh. More blood dripped from the wild creature's skull. Then it eyed the creatures who shot it. The coyote glared it's huge sharp yellow eyes at them. _

_The others ran for their lives, but Beans and Rango couldn't move. They were both frozen in terror. Rango lifted his gun with his shaking arms. The coyote barked, making him jump and dropped the gun. Beans slowly raised her gun, but was too scared to pull the trigger. The coyote's bleeding face and body tensed up, ready to kill them. Beans grabbed Rango's hand and closed her eyes tightly. Ready for the end. _

_Suddenly, a miracle happened. Up from the ground in between the coyote and two lizards, shot up Rattlesnake Jake. The two lizards jumped back in shock. The coyote yelped and moved back as well. The long cyborg snake raised himself up high, looming over the coyote. Then he raised his tail gun and fired a couple rounds. The coyote's body jerked and jolted violently as the hundreds of lead bullets bit and tore into its' flesh. The coyote's blood sprayed and splattered against the destroyed casinos and on Rattlesnake Jake's face. _

_The coyote screamed one last time before its' body fell to the ground. A pool of blood formed around the hunk of shredded flesh, broken bones and fur. The huge snake's flaming eyes flickered to the dripping crimson blood on his face. His long forked tongue slowly slithered out and licked the blood from his face. _

_Then he twisted himself around, his metal body scraping against the rocks and dirt. Beans gasped in shock at the cyborg snake. She clung to Rango. Rango looked up at the huge rattlesnake and tipped his hat. Jake nodded his head. With that, Rattlesnake Jake slithered off down the road. The huge vulture was seen pecking at all the dead bodies laying around on the dirt road of Main Street. _

_Its' feasting was suddenly cut short as Jake passed by it. Without looking at the bird, he pumped the bird full of bullets and left it to die in the middle of the road. Jake slithered out of the town, and was gone without a trace. People were still scattering along the road in a panic, even after the cyborg snake left. _

…

Out of the scattering people, Kinski spotted Petunia in the middle of the road. Her head was buried into her hands, sobbing. Her parents were seen hiding in one of the casinos. They screamed for her, but then they were shut up when a couple guards came up and aimed their guns at them. Kinski noticed them, but turned back to Petunia, who was about to be killed by a couple of security men.

"Petunia!" Kinski screamed. Before Doc or I could stop him, he bolted out into the panicking street for the little girl. Petunia turned and saw Kinski running to her. She kept crying. Kinski shot the security men as he came up to her and scooped her up into his arms. Petunia kept crying and wrapped her little arms around his neck. "I want my mommy," she cried and buried her face into his shirt.

Suddenly, the hawk that was flying over the town, came down and landed right in front of the two. My stomach twisted in pain. "No!" I screamed. Doc placed his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to sit still. "You can't go, you still need help," he said. I looked back at the two. Kinski and Petunia were frozen where they stood. The hawk glared down at them and ruffled its feathers. Kinski raised his gun and pulled the trigger. _Click, Click. _Nothing.

I gasped, and before I knew it, I transformed and was already running to the hunchback jackrabbit and little rodent. My massive wings were in so much pain but I ignored it. Kinski started to bolt, but the hawk flapped its' wings and landed right on top of him. Petunia screamed, she was trapped as well. The hawk lowered its beak-. I screamed at the hawk, sending it flying through the air and crashing into a casino. The bird screamed in pain and fury.

_Kinski got up from the dirt, still holding Petunia, and saw The Nightmare right in front of him. Banshee. "Banshee!" screamed Petunia, smiling. Kinski smiled a small smile, but then remembered her condition. As if on cue, the huge bat collapsed in pain. "No!" screamed Kinski, placing Petunia down and running over to where the female bat was._

I whimpered in pain. My massive wings had strips of red bandages still clinging on. I stretched my neck and started licking the wounds. The taste of blood was disgusting and tasted metallic, but I didn't care, I just wanted the bleeding to stop. Kinski came up to me and placed his hands over the bleeding wound I was licking. "Stop! don't do zat! Ya need to get out-" he shouted, but was cut off when the huge hawk charged right into me, sending me crashing against the opposite side into a different casino building.

_Kinski fell backwards into the dirt on the street. Petunia rushed over to him to see if he was ok. Kinski groaned and rubbed his head. He turned back to Petunia's parents, who were still held captive. He turned back to Petunia, then Banshee._ _Which one?_ _Suddenly, Kinski's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the strange low croaking sounds of the huge toad, just twenty five feet behind him. The plan formed in his mind and he smiled at the toad. He quickly grabbed Petunia and placed her on his twisted back. Her small arms wrapped around his neck. Kinski bolted down the street to the security men and Petunia's parents. _

"_Hey! Idiots!" he shouted at the men. The men turned and noticed Kinski coming their way. Before they could answer, they saw the huge toad crawling its way toward them. Its' huge bulging sick yellow stomach rolled in front of the multicoloured warty massive chunk of toad. Huge, blood red eyes the size of beach balls, sat snugly in the green folds on the side of the toad's head as it glared down upon the puny creatures. Its' stubby pink tongue flicked out and wetted its' pale blue lips. _

_Kinski ran past them, but then turned a sharp corner. The security men screamed in horror at the huge toad. They let go of Petunia's parents, and bolted down the street. The toad followed after them and struck its' huge sticky hot pink tongue out at them. The two uniformed guards got stuck in the stubbed, tongue and were pulled back to the gapping mouth of the toad. The men screamed but then were cut off as they were engulfed into darkness. _

_The huge, wild amphibian licked its lips, turned around, and waddled down the street for more creatures to eat. Kinski got out from where he was hiding and came up to Petunia's scared parents. They turned and noticed Kinski. Petunia stood on top of Kinski. "Mommy! Daddy!" she screamed happily. Kinski smiled and lifted her off his twisted back and gently lowered her to the ground. _

"_Petunia!" screamed her parents happily and ran up to the little girl. Petunia jumped into her parents arms and they hugged. Kinski stood there, looking down at the touching scene. __Mr. and Mrs. Rodent looked up at the hunchback jackrabbit with a huge smile on their faces. "You saved our daughter, and ourselves as well, Thank you," said Mr. Rodent. Kinski waved off their thanks. Mrs. Rodent smiled at Kinski. "You are forever welcomed into our family, any time. We owe you," she said. _

_Kinski blinked and looked down at the Rodent family. _Welcomed? He was welcomed to be in the family? He has never been in a family before. The thought made him feel appreciated and loved inside_. Kinski smiled and shyly nodded. _

_Suddenly, the touching moment was interrupted when he heard a loud screech behind him. Kinski whipped around and saw Banshee still fighting the hawk. "Banshee," he said with wide eyes. Then he bolted down the street to Banshee._

* * *

I rose up from a destroyed casino and snarled at the hawk. The hawk screeched at me angrily. Forcing my wings to move forward, I charged at the hawk. The hawk screeched and flapped its wings angrily as it was sent crashing into another casino. The hawk screeched in pain as I pinned it down. The bird started to thrust its neck out. It used its' beak to try and peck my eyes out. I felt the sharp tip pierce the side of my face. I screeched in pain and bit down hard into the hawk's shoulder. The hawk flapped its wings in pain and fury. It slashed my stomach with its razor sharp claws and kicked me backwards. I rolled and collapsed in the middle of the street.

I was breathing heavily and my heart was beating at a rapid pace. My bleeding wings shook. My long pink tongue came out and started licking the blood again. Kinski suddenly appeared at my side. He forced my head away from my bleeding wings again. "No! stop zat!" he yelled, but I could barely hear him. I stretched my tongue toward one of the wounds but Kinski shoved my face back. My tongue lashed out to my wings again, but licked Kinski's furry hand instead. "No! Come on! zis vay!" he commanded, pushing me to get away from the hawk before it came back again. I collapsed to the ground. Heaving and panting. Kinski gritted his teeth in frustration. "Banshee! Come on!" he shouted impatiently, but it was no use, I couldn't seem to move anymore.

Suddenly, Kinski turned and noticed the hawk shifting and getting upright out of the remains of the buildings. He hesitated, but then balled his furry hands into fists and narrowed his eyes at the hawk as he moved in front of me. The hawk approached us and glared down at him. Kinski sneered and stood his ground. I lifted my head and turned to him. I screeched a pathetic high pitch noise. My body started to flicker and change back to its regular form.

Kinski didn't flinch as the hawk loomed over him and glared down at him with one of its' beady eyes. The bird raised its beak and in lightning speed, brought it down. Kinski dodged out of the way, but got nicked in the fell to the ground and winced in pain. He looked up at the bird and slashed his good arm out. The bird screeched and reared its' head back. Kinski growled, still on the ground.

Before the bird could hurt the hunchback jackrabbit anymore, I used the rest of my strength to get up and lunged myself forward at the hawk. We tumbled and crashed into the destroyed casinos. I sat on top of the bird, pinning its' wings down with my changing wings again. I glared down at its' jerking head and screamed into its face, causing the beak to shatter. Blood exploded from the birds face. The bird screamed, kicking me off with its sharp claws and flapped its' wings. I collapsed on my back and slowly turned back to my normal size. The hawk flapped its' wings and kept screaming and screeching in agony. Long, brown feathers drifted down from the bird as it tried getting away. Blood dripped down from its' face.

Finally, the bird couldn't flap anymore and crashed to the ground and bled to death. My mind was swimming. My head slowly rocked back and forth. The whole world was spinning. Then my mind went black…


	23. Chapter 23: Moonlight

I woke up with a sharp stabbing feeling. I groaned and lifted my wings up to my head. Instead of fur touching fur, my wings touched tightly wrapped bandages. My eyes fluttered open and focused. I found myself looking up at a pale bluish purple sky. I slowly sat upright. Pain instantly shot up and down my wings. I yelped in pain and cradled my bandaged wings. I blinked the tears away. My vision cleared and I noticed Petunia sitting next to me, playing with the sand on the ground. She heard my yelp and smiled.

"Yer awake!" she said happily. Then she got up and ran down the hill. My vision blurred and focused. My head moved in small circles, still not sure what was going on. I looked down and noticed I was wearing the purple shawl over my shoulders and a sleeveless white shirt. A black skirt was worn around my waist and went down to my ankles. Pointy black boots were laced up on my feet.

Minutes later Petunia came back. She pulled Doc's hand, rushing back up the hill and over to me. He stopped in front of me, panting. "Oh…good, yer up…" he said smiling. He bent over with his hands on his knees. My almost-deaf ears twitched at his words I could barely make out. Everything was still a whisper. Petunia moved over to me and sat back down in the sand. Her small fingers swirled around, making small patterns. I rubbed my bandaged wings and looked around. I was out of the City, back near the sand hills.

A couple hundreds of citizens, bats, and prairie dogs all were laid out in a certain row and were either laying down or sitting upright. They all had bandages wrapped around their arms, heads, and legs. It was like a hospital. The market traders were seen moving along the wounded, feeding them food and wrapping bandages. A couple market traders were seen folding a long strip of cloth over a deceased animal. I instantly looked down at my borrowed clothes and shivered. Hoping the clothes didn't come from where I was thinking. I looked back up at Doc. "How long was I out? What time is it? Is the war over?" I asked rapidly to the tired rabbit.

Doc sighed tiredly. He rubbed his tired face with a couple strands of white bandages. Then he turned his bloodshot eyes to me. "You were out fer about six hours. If I were drunk, I would've considered you dead… it's almost six o' clock righ' now, and we're still fighting," Doc answered, his voice muffled. I turned my head and noticed that the City was about a half a mile away from where the outside medical area was. I turned my head back to the one eared doctor.

"Where's Kinski? Is he ok?" I asked quickly, my insides twisting and writhing nervously. Doc blinked and scratched his head for a minute, then he shrugged, "I dunno, he disappeared when he carried you 'ere, I think he's still fightin' in the City," he said. Petunia tapped my shoulder. I turned my head to her. "He told me to watch you while he went back to fight," she said smiling. My stomach churned, making me feel nauseous. I started to get up, but my wings stopped me. I screeched in pain and sat back down. Petunia touched my wings carefully and helped me lay back down. Doc narrowed his eyes at me. "You ain't goin' nowhere, yer stayin' righ' 'ere till you get better, Petunia, you make sure she doesn't leave this spot, got it?" he asked the five year old girl. Petunia smiled and nodded.

Just then, I saw Priscilla and Ricochet run up to Doc. "Doc, two of the prairie dogs aren't breathin' and a couple Dirt people need more bandages," announced Ricochet. Doc thanked the kids. "Sorry, Banshee, gotta go," said Doc. Then Doc turned to Petunia. "Petunia? Watch her," he reminded the girl, and quickly bounded down the hill to the creatures who needed help. The two teens looked down at me.

"Hey Banshee, how ya doin'?" asked Priscilla with a small smile. I looked down at my carefully, bandaged wings, "Fine…I guess," I said, shrugging. Petunia ran up to the teens. "I'm watchin' her! She can't leave till she's better," the little girl said smiling. The two teens exchanged glances and then looked over at me. I looked back up at them with a sad face. Just by looking at my face, they instantly knew what I wanted.

After a couple minutes of awkward silence, the corkscrew armed grey jackrabbit spoke. "I saw Kinski carryin' yer limp body over 'ere a couple hours ago. That was real nice of 'im…never thought he had some good in 'im," said Ricochet. I blushed and turned my head from them. Petunia looked up at Ricochet. "He has good in 'im, he always has," the little girl said. Ricochet smiled at the girl and nodded, "He's good, that's why he's on our side," he said, which made my wings sweat from under the bandages.

Then Priscilla changed the subject, "Hey Petunia, where's yer brother, Stub?" she asked. Petunia got up and looked for her brother. "Righ' there, with mommy and daddy," she pointed down at one section of the laying animals. They were standing up and talking. Priscilla smiled, "Can you go and see if he or yer parents need any help? We'll watch Banshee while yer gone," she promised. Petunia gave Priscilla a long look. "Ok," she said, before running down to where her family was. Right when she was out of earshot, the two teens came over to me and helped me up. I blushed and smiled to them. The two teens smiled back. We didn't say anything as we fled the area and made our way to the City.

...

The day was growing short. Darkness was slowly spreading over the soft pale colored sky. Little white dots of stars were already appearing in the sky. The sun gave off its final light of rays from behind the dark purple mountains.

When we entered the burning, blood bathed town, hundreds of bodies littered the ground. Blood painted the ground, and squishy organs in shades of pink, red, purple and grey, tumbled out of the lifeless bodies and the wild kind. Bullets went off and dynamite, but it didn't effect my deaf ears. Smoke choked the atmosphere. I could see half of the Dirtonians were gone, and about four hundred prairie dogs littered most of the dirt ground of Main Street. flames flickered on burnt remains. A foul stench was in the air.

I noticed that three security men with flame throwers were still around, reloading their flame throwers. Then they were seen getting up and looking around for more victims to burn. Finally, out of the remaining clustered fighting groups of animals, I spotted Kinski. His hair was matted and his clothes were covered in fresh blood. One of his arms was in a sling but it didn't stop him from fighting. He ducked and dodged security men right before shooting them in the chest or back. When his gun ran out of bullets, he chucked it aside and fought for a new one.

The sun in the distance finally gave off its last rays before completely hiding itself from the bloody battle. More stars came out, the pale moon wasn't seen anywhere in the night sky. The bats instantly were seen glowing in the dark with their glowing patterns on their backs. More animals were shot and killed, we seemed to be losing at the moment. More blood was spilled. It was horrible to watch. Ricochet and Priscilla looked away in disgust. I watched Kinski with deep concern. My stomach twisting and churning like a living, writhing creature inside.

Just then, I saw something flicker out of the corner of my eye. I turned and saw Bill, Stump and Chorizo come out of hiding. They glared at the battle in front of them. They looked up at the starry night sky. An uneasy look flickered on their faces as they searched the sky. _What was wrong with th-? _I started to wonder, but my thoughts were instantly interrupted when I saw one of the security guards with the flame throwers. He noticed Kinski killing off the other security men. He raised his flame thrower and pulled the trigger.

"Kinski!" I screamed. Kinski whipped around and noticed me. His eyes widened at the sight of me. "Banshee? V-vhat-?" he called to me confusingly_. _Suddenly, Kinski felt something hot touch his fur and looked down.

"NO!" I screamed as I watched Kinski's body burst into flames. Ricochet and Priscilla grabbed my wings before I could run to the burning hunchback jackrabbit. Tears trickled down my cheek as I watched in horror. The remaining citizens, mutants, security men, and prairie dogs stopped fighting and watched as the hunchback jackrabbit was engulfed in flames. I screamed and fought to break free and help him, but more arms grabbed me and held me back. My wings screamed in pain, I collapsed to the ground and cried.

Suddenly, Kinski's flaming body faced us, and after watching the hunchback jackrabbit, we all realized something was wrong. I stopped crying and stared at him. Kinski didn't scream or cry out in pain. He just stood there, as if the flames didn't hurt him at all. I couldn't believe it. Kinski eyes fixed on me, noticing my shocked and confused face.

Gradually, the flames extinguished themselves out. Kinski's body was intact and didn't seemed as if it was burned at all. Kinski's sling fluttered down to the ground, charred and black to a crisp, but the clothes he wore were intact. Kinski averted his eyes from everyone as he calmly brushed the ash and rubble from his intact sleeves. Everyone gapped at this strange occurrence. The security man who tried to burn Kinski, dropped his flame thrower and backed away in fear. Bill, Stump and Chorizo growled angrily, and came up to where all the commotion was happening. "Stop gawkin'!" snapped Bill angrily as he shoved his way into the gapping half circle Kinski was in.

He turned to Kinski, giving him a disgusted look, "I'll deal with _you _in a minute, traitor!" he snarled "But for now, what I can see on yer girl's face, I see ya didn't tell 'em," he said, but then smirked in amusement at our faces. Kinski shot him a look, but then looked back at our shocked faces.

"T-tell us w-what?" asked Mr. Furgus nervously. Kinski took a deep breath and sighed, still looking down at the ground. "Ve are half immortal beings…Unable to die at night," answered Kinski. Everyone's eyes widened. I gapped, my legs started to grow heavy and weak. Ricochet and Priscilla still held me up. "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked in a weak voice, tears still trailed down my cheeks. Kinski averted his eyes away from me. He didn't answer.

Bill snickered at my shocked face. Stump and Chorizo half heartedly joined in. "He didn't tell ya? Ha! That's rich!" he slapped Kinski's twisted back really hard. Kinski moved from the slap. He winced in pain, but kept his gaze down on the ground. Guilt was seen, hidden behind his bangs. Bill grinned evilly at the tall rabbit and continued. "I can think one good reason why he didn't tell ya, 'cause he's a no good God damn traitor!" he screamed. Everyone flinched at Bill's harsh words, but didn't move or say anything as Bill bad mouthed the tall hunchback jackrabbit.

Kinski didn't move or say anything as Bill slowly circled him. "He ain't to be trusted! Ever! I can't believe you bloats actually accepted 'im to be on yer side in the first place!" The Gila Monster shouted angrily as he turned to us. A couple of the remaining citizens averted their eyes from the Gila Monster, others flickered their eyes from him, to Kinski. Bill huffed angrily at the Rebel army. "Tell me, what made you idiots trust this freak?" he asked in a low angry tone.

No one said anything. Bill glared at everyone. His eyes shifting over to everyone's scared and nervous faces. Everyone exchanged glances. They seemed to slowly think the same thing. Gradually, one by one, everyone lifted a piece of material that had my symbol stained on it and lifted it high. Flags with the symbol were raised high and flapped in the cool breeze. The fire that illuminated the town, flickered and made it easier for Bill to see the symbol in the darkness. Kinski looked up at the small rebel army through his bangs and smiled. Bill, Stump and Chorizo's expressions changed.

_Huh? What symbol is- Stump thought at first but then his eyes widened and turned his head to Banshee. "Banshee's symbol…"_ _he whispered, suddenly realizing. _

Bill growled angrily and turned to Kinski. Kinski turned his head to him and smiled a small smile. Then he slowly pulled out the strip of material from his pocket and showed the symbol on it. _Banshee's symbol. The symbol of trust_. Bill snarled with rage.

Suddenly, before Bill could do anything, the moon came out of hiding. Bill, Stump, Chorizo and Kinski gasped in horror as they stared up at the pale glowing moon. Something wasn't right. Instantly, we watched as the four frantically searched for something to hide under, but it was no use. The remaining members of the two armies watched in terror as the four outlaws suddenly transformed. I watched in horror, suddenly realizing what was happening. The horrible dreams I had every night...

Kinski, Chorizo, Stump and Bill's eyes gradually faded till they were glowing white and lifeless. Their arms stretched out in front of them as they advanced toward us, moaning and groaning. Their fur and flesh withered and deteriorated away. They have become zombies. "The moonlight! They become zombies when their bodies touch moonlight!" screamed Priscilla.

The zombies approached us, snarling and dripping saliva. Everyone screamed and ran for their lives. Balthazar and the rest of his family high tailed it out of the town as fast as their bats could fly, and flew out over the dark sandy desert. Back to their home. Ricochet and Priscilla helped me move away from the zombies and toward Rebel Street. Suddenly Priscilla stopped and turned around.

"Petunia!" she screamed. I turned and gasped. Petunia was seen in the middle of the street. She must have found out that Ricochet and Priscilla took me to the City and came to come and get me back. Petunia was seen screaming and moving away from the zombies who were slowly approaching her. Suddenly, Petunia tripped and fell. The zombie gang advanced toward her. "Petunia! No!" I screamed. I jerked my wings from the two teens and half skipped half limped my way to the little rodent girl. She cried in fear as Zombie Kinski lowered his head and revealed a row of sharp teeth. His lips curled up into a creepy smile. Petunia kept crying.

I jumped in front of her and screamed at Zombie Kinski. The undead hunchback jackrabbit roared as he reared back and was forced backwards. He crashed into Stump. The two jackrabbit zombies collapsed to the ground. Petunia kept crying, and hugged me. I picked her up and moved as fast as I could away from the zombie outlaws. My legs started to grow heavy. Ricochet took Petunia from me, while Priscilla grabbed my bandaged wing and helped me down the street toward Rebel Street. Rango's posse and the rest of the citizens met up with us and we all filed into one of the nearby buildings. Thankfully, Rebel street was still intact, whereas Main street and parts of Cathouse street and possibly Market street, laid in ruins.

It was dead quiet in the room, except for Petunia's crying. I gently hugged her and smoothed her hair, but then stopped when my wings screamed in pain. We listened to the faint sounds of screams, crackling fire, and the roars of the zombie gang as they roamed the streets of the City. Hunting for living flesh. The night droned on. It never seemed to end. None of us could to get any sleep...


	24. Chapter 24: Types of Monsters

The next morning, the sun slowly peeked and took its' time around the mountains, to finally reveal itself, and shined down upon the brutal horrors and bloodshed battle that had been bestowed upon the town all through the night. Everyone cautiously came out from the houses and buildings of the old town with dark bags under their tired eyes. We looked around for the zombie gang. They were gone. No one spoke as we all took our time, searching the place for them.

I still couldn't believe it. Why didn't Kinski tell me? I lightly touched a wooden post for support as I peeked behind a building. Seeing that nothing was there, I slowly moved on. After a half an hour of searching for the outlaws, the posse and the Dirtonians gave up and went to clean up the destroyed City. Others went to where Doc's medical area was to see if they were ok. The medical area was ok, so the citizens helped Doc and the market traders with the wounded. I tried to look around the City a bit more, but collapsed in pain. I laid there. Trembling, and bleeding. _Where could they have gone? They couldn't have just disappeared…could they?_ _Where did they go? _

I felt a pair of gentle hands touch my shoulders and carefully lift me up. "Not good to be here," said Wounded Bird. I looked up at him and then sighed and looked back at the ground. He looked at me. "Get rest, sheriff and others will find hunchback," the black bird promised. I turned my head back to him. "Do you know where they are?" I asked him. Wounded Bird smiled a small sad smile. "You know," he said. I looked at the black bird confusingly. _I did? I must know…I guess._ I frantically racked my brain. _Where were they? Where were they? Where-_ My eyes widened. Wounded Bird nodded.

Just then, Doc, Ricochet, and a couple other members of the posse came up to us. Doc smiled to us and gently grabbed my wing. "Let's go inside Banshee, you need to rest," he said. I protested. "N-no, we need to find Kinski," I said. The men ignored me and helped Doc half carry half pull me to one of the buildings inside rebel street. "No! We need to find him!" I raised my voice. "Well, where do ya expect us to look then?" asked Elgin angrily. "We've already searched the whole City," said Sergeant Turley. "They're not here! They're gone!" agreed Waffles excitedly. The men kept pulling and pushing me closer and closer to the building.

Finally, the frustration got to me. I turned my head to Wounded Bird, who looked back at me. Then I turned my head back to the men. "I know where they are!" I shouted. The men stopped. "I know where they are," I said, a little more quieter. The men didnt say anything. I continued. "If I rest, will you guys go to where they are?" I asked them. The men exchanged glances, then turned back to me. "Of course, but, where do you think Bad Bill and his gang are then?" Mr. Furgus asked. My eyes shifted as I looked at every member of the posse's faces…

* * *

_At the Abandoned Mines… _

Bill still wasn't through with Kinski. Right after morning came, the men woke up and noticed Kinski was still unconscious. Stump and Chorizo dragged the hunchback jackrabbit to the Abandoned Mines, the place they once called home. Kinski woke up and found himself being yelled at by Bill

"_I can't believe it, you blasted double crosser!" screamed Bill angrily. Kinski glared back. Bill bared his teeth, "I thought you wanted to be normal, wasn't it your life long dream?" Bill asked. Kinski averted his eyes away from the Gila Monster. Bill glared at Kinski. "You would always complain about yer deformity every single damn bloomin' day! What the hell? Now its' yer best friend all the sudden?" asked Bill. Kinski turned and stuck his tongue out. Bill snarled, "If ya do that again I'm gonna cut it right off!" Bill snapped. Kinski sneered, but slurped his tongue back in. The Gila Monster slowly circled him once. _

_When he went back to facing him, Bill shook his head and finally spoke, "I should've seen it… I should've seen it coming," he muttered. Kinski looked up with a glare. Bill ignored his glare and looked down at Kinski's straps. He pulled on one of the straps, then let it go, making it snap. He eyed the hunchback, seeing what he would do. Kinski didn't flinch. He just stood there, glaring at Bill. _

_Bill glared back. "I have known you for about twenty years. You are my friend, my gang member, why are you going against me?" Bill asked, gritting his teeth. Kinski still wouldn't answer. Finally Bill was fed up with it. He took his hand back and smacked Kinski across the face. Kinski fell backwards from the blow and crashed against the chairs and table. Stump and Chorizo, who stood at the end of the room, gasped in shock at what Bill just did to Kinski. They exchanged scared glances. Then they moved away nervously to the other side of the room. _

_Blood oozed from Kinski's twitching nose. Kinski growled and wiped the blood off with the back of his sleeve. The hunchback jackrabbit got up from the upturned furniture and straightened up. Bill ignored Kinski's death glare and continued. "I thought of you as my successor, my number one guy. You could've been thought of as second in command of this city…and then leader when I passed away," said Bill. Kinski felt his stomach twist. Second in command? The vice president of this Casino City? Then ruler of the city when Bill died? He couldn't believe it…but then, how could he? Kinski narrowed his eyes. _

_"If you thought of me as your successor, zen vhy didn't you tell me about ze poisoned food! I could've died!" screamed Kinski angrily. Bill grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth. "You weren't going to die," said Bill. Kinski growled, "How do ya know zat?" he snarled. Bill smirked, "because, Banshee loves ya, boy," The Gila Monster said. Kinski felt his stomach turn to lead. _

"V_-vhat if she didn't! v-vhat if she vanted me to die because of how I betrayed 'er!" Kinski pointed out. Bill laughed and shook his head. "Kinski, Kinski, Kinski," he said in his amused voice. Kinski froze where he stood as Bill circled the poor creature again. __"You know I would_ ne-ver _allow you to die...I knew the plan would work. Banshee would never kill you...Come back to us. You dont need them...you dont need Banshee. I'll let you control everyone...you'll have the world at yer fingertips," _finished_ Bill, after slowly circling the hunchback jackrabbit twice. _

_Kinski felt his face burn. His organs tightened and twisted in his deformed body. He couldnt think straight. Bill knew that Banshee wouldnt kill him. Kinski fumbled for his jacks, but dropped them in the process. He stared down at the ground with wide eyes, not bothering to pick up his game.__He didnt know what to do..._

_Kinski thought back to the times when he was with Bill, Stump and Chorizo. All the mischivous things they did. Shooting people, stealing, robbing. He remembered the good old days when life was simple...when citizens were citizens, and gunslingers were gunslingers..._

_Then he thought of Banshee. Banshee loved him…for some strange phenomenal reason. She loved him for who he was, an abnormal creature, who was abused during childhood, and then became a psychopath killer and killed anyone who called him a freak… but Banshee didn't see the monster that all the other people saw. She saw a poor little jackrabbit boy, Scared and alone, with only his toy jacks as his friend… _

_Kinski finally retrieved his jacks and placed them back in his pocket. He looked up at Bill. Anger coursed through him. "No..." he said. Bill's face changed. "What?" he asked. Kinski bared his teeth. "Yer wrong! I do need Banshee!" he yelled at the Gila Monster. Bill's face darkened. _

_"Dammit Kinski! that hideous, demon-eyed bat freak ain't good for ya! She's-" Bill suddenly was cut off. Kinski slashed Bill across the face. Bill screamed in pain and staggered back. His clawed hands covered his face. When Bill was a good distance away from the hunchback jackrabbit, he lifted his chubby, scaly hands from his face. Blood dripped down from his face and claws. Kinski growled a low growl. _

"_Don't you _dare _say that about Banshee!" he screamed. Bill slowly lifted his eyes and shifted them over to Kinski. They were wide with horror. Kinski's face was wild with rage. Of course, he has seen the raged side of Kinski, but…not like this. This rage was different. Stump and Chorizo flinched and shrunk down against the crumbling wall near the dark corner. Trying to disappear. They were terrified of Kinski. _

_Bill narrowed his eyes at Kinski. He turned his right hand and wiped his face with the back of it. Then he straightened up and gritted his sharp teeth. Kinski glared back. Bill reached down into his pocket. As he did, he felt something else in his pocket that made him grin. Something…sharp. A plan started to form in the Gila Monster's brain. He lifted his hand out of his pocket, and placed his hand into a different pocket. He pulled out something that made Kinski's eyebrows rise. Bill held a__ crumpled up scrap of material. It unfolded in Bill's hands and revealed a familiar red symbol. The Rebel symbol. Banshee's symbol. _Kinski felt his legs shake. His body trembled and he felt himself feeling nauseous. His furry hands instantly went down to the outside of his pockets and touched them. They were empty, except for the bulge in his left pocket that were his jacks. "H-how-?" he stuttered. Bill smirked, 

"_You were out cold. Didn't move at all. We at first thought you were dead…no, I correct myself, we at first _wished _you were dead!" he snapped angrily__.__Kinski tensed up and snarled with rage. He curled his hands into fists._ Stump and Chorizo knew the volcano was about to erupt. They started to leave, but Bill stuck his fat stubby arm out.

_"You two ain't goin' anywheres," he snapped. Chorizo and Stump exchanged scared looks. Chorizo looked up at Bill. "B-boss, l-leave K-Kinski alone, he's had enough," the Spanish speaking shrew stuttered. Bill turned his head slightly to the shrew and glared down. Then he quickly turned back to Kinski, making sure he wasn't going to charge him while his head was turned. "No, he ain't done yet," he smirked. _

___Bill lowered his arm and stared down at the symbol. "When I saw this symbol, I seriously felt like vomiting. This is Banshee's symbol. Now used as a symbol for a rebellion. A symbol of trust. Somehow, you were offered a second chance, because of this," he said, lifting the scrap of cloth higher. Bill sneered in disgust. _

___"This is what I think of it!__" With that, Bill chucked the cloth to the ground and started stomping on it. Shifting and pounding it deeper into the cold ground. Each stomp crushed Kinski's insides. It was as if his heart was being stomped instead of the piece of cloth. Bill glared back up at the hunchback jackrabbit. _"You and Banshee are very much alike. You two are a couple of freaks! Hideous, sh*t load of freaks! I should've killed her the first day she showed her disgusting face into this God-damned town!" he screamed. 

_Then, Bill stopped and spat at the dirty cloth for good measure. Just then, all hell broke loose. Kinski's mind snapped and he attacked Bill. He screamed and swore as he slashed and kicked Bill. Stump and Chorizo watched in horror, but were too scared to move, even as Bill screamed desperately for their help. Kinski bit down into Bill's arm. Bill screamed in pain as hot blood oozed out and trailed down his arm. He bashed Kinski's head, but Kinski still didn't let go. _

_He finally yanked his long droopy ear, making the jackrabbit yelp. Kinski punched the Gila Monster in the face. Bill fell to the ground. Kinski came down on top of him and kept bashing and beating the hell out of the Gila Monster. Blood sprayed everywhere. Bill gripped Kinski's neck and held him arms length away from his face as he struggled for his knife in his pocket. _

_Kinski screamed and snapped his teeth as he tried to pry Bill's claws open. Bill finally got his knife out of his pocket, just as Kinski's long arms stretched to his face and started clawing at it. Bill cursed angrily and used all his strength against the hunchback jackrabbit to somewhat get into an upright position. Finally, he gripped his knife in his other hand, and used the rest of his strength, to plunge the knife into Kinski's stomach. _

_Kinski half yelped and half gasped. His arms instantly went limp and dangled in front of Bill's face. Bill sighed with relief and slowly lifted the lanky rabbit and himself up. Bill still gripped the jackrabbit's neck and lifted him high up to where his long feet barely touched the ground. The knife was still plunged deep into his stomach. Blood gushed out of Kinski's gut as he dangled there. Bill growled at the rabbit. "I hate you, hunchback. You and yer hideous girlfriend, don't you _ever _show yer grotesque face around me again or so help me I'll make you suffer till you wake up in hell!" he screamed. _

_With that, he took the knife out of the jackrabbit's stomach, causing more blood to gush and drip down. Bill loosened his grip on the wounded rabbit. Kinski flopped to the ground like a limp doll and crumpled to the floor. Stump and Chorizo's bodies shook all over in sheer terror. They gapped in horror at Bill. Then they looked down at Kinski's limp body. He was barely breathing. Stump hesitated, before slowly approaching the rabbit-_

"_Leave that hunchbacked freak alone! Come on, let's git out of 'ere before those assholes find him 'ere," the Gila Monster snarled. Stump froze, his small hands just hovering over his old friend's body. Bill gruffed angrily and stormed out of the mines and out into the open. Stump looked back down at Kinski. Kinski's eyes were wide and staring straight ahead at the sideways world. Stump hesitated. His eyes shifting from Kinski, to Chorizo, to the entrance/exit of the mines, then back to Kinski. Finally, Stump made his decision: He took off his coat and covered the wound. Kinski flinched and groaned in pain. More blood gushed out. Chorizo finally came up. He helped Stump wrap the coat tightly around Kinski's stomach. They connected the ends together and knotted them. Kinski's eyes still stared straight ahead. Still wide with shock. _

_After that, Chorizo hesitated, and exchanged glances with Stump. He placed a hand on his shoulder. Then he let it drop and then walked out of the room to outside. Stump hesitated, but then bent down slightly and lightly patted Kinski's shoulder. "Goodbye, Kinski," he said softly. Just then, his foot rubbed up against something. He looked down and noticed a dirty scrap of cloth. The red symbol was faded, but Stump could still make it out. He bent down and picked it up. He looked at it for a minute, then at Kinski, then back at the shredded dirty cloth. _

_He rubbed his thumb over the material. Smearing the mud away, revealing more of the symbol. The strange symbol stared back at him. Suddenly, he heard loud thudding sounds approaching the entrance. Stump could instantly tell it was the sheriff and his posse. Stump smiled a small smile. For the first time in his life, he was glad the sheriff and the posse were here. The stumpy jackrabbit quickly stuffed the scrap of cloth into his coat pocket. He looked at his dying friend one last time before scampering outside. After that, the three outlaws ran off out into the desert…_

...

_Right when Bill, Stump and Chorizo left, the posse came to the mines. They found Kinski's body still laying on the ground. A small pool of blood formed around him. They gently helped him up carried him back to be fixed up. Kinski's eyes finally closed, and became unconscious. Doc unknotted the coat that was tied around the hunchback jackrabbit's waist. He cleaned up the wounds as best as he could and wrapped the last fresh bandages that he had, around the jackrabbit's stomach. A couple Market traders helped Doc place the lanky jackrabbit into one of the small cot beds in one of the rooms of the houses and laid him down to rest. _


	25. Chapter 25: Heartbeats

I laid awake in my small cot bed, staring up at the ceiling. The curtains were drawn but shafts of light strained through the little moth eaten holes. I turned my head slightly, looking around. The furniture was moved around so the wounded could lay their heads and rest. Ten to fifteen were in each room. Since there was so many wounded, five houses were filled to the brim with bandaged, bleeding creatures. The ones I were with were prairie dogs. They groaned and twisted in pain. They laid on certain types of furniture. Couches, sofas, cot beds, worn mattresses, and chairs. A couple citizens or market traders would come in and either feed us, or give us more medicine. I didn't feel like eating, but one of the market traders insisted.

"Please, my dear, eat," said a female desert fox I later learned her name was Roon. Her fur was a light brown and she wore a green worn cloak with the hood up. I averted my eyes away from her and turned over in my bed. The female fox sighed and placed the small tray of food next to my bed on a nightstand. When she was about to leave the room, a male citizen of Dirt came up to her. His name I learned was Burton.

They started to talk. I, of course, couldn't hear a thing. I strained my ears to hear, but it was no use. I turned my head and tried reading their lips. I was horrible at reading lips, but I did catch one: hunchback. I gasped. _The posse found him? Where is he? Is he ok?_ a million questions swam around in my head. My stomach twisted. Something in the two animals' eyes made all the blood drain from my face.

Roon and Burton turned to me. I quickly flopped over and turned my back to them. My deaf ears still kept ringing in my head. I felt my eyes fill up with tears and trickled down my face. I rubbed my face into the pillow to wipe the tears from my face. I have lost my ability to hear, the guy I liked was possibly dead, and I was stuck inside a room with the wounded. What more can there possibly be to make this day suck even more?

Suddenly my stomach twisted so much with all the worrying of Kinski and the thought of all the dead bodies that still laid on the disgusting road of Main Street, I had to sit up. Right when I did, the top half of my body was jerked forward. I felt bile rise up in my throat and was about to vomit. I quickly moved my head and vomited on the floor instead of on the covers. Burton and Roon rushed to my aid and quickly grabbed the 'vomit bucket' near the door. They carefully placed the bucket underneath my chin. The taste was beyond disgusting and the smell made me want to…do something else besides vomit. Roon patted my back. I felt tears coming to my eyes. It was painful.

Finally, the puking ceased and I breathed heavily. The female fox wiped my mouth with a towel and left for more. Burton took the bucket away and left the room as well. A couple of wounded prairie dogs stared at me. "Are you ok?" one of them asked. I looked at him blankly. "What?" I asked. The prairie dog repeated, a little louder. I sadly shook my head. Then I laid my head back down. More tears came down my face as I watched Burton clean up my vomit. Roon came back with more towels and helped clean up the vomit. The smell stank up the whole room for a while, but the two creatures finally got it all cleaned up.

"I'm sorry," I said to them. The two creatures shook their heads. "No need to be sorry, it's good to let it all out. Just rest," said Burton as he left the room. Roon followed after him. Then she stopped and turned to me. I couldn't hear what she said, but when she pointed her finger to the small tray of food next to me, I instantly knew what she wanted me to do. I looked up at her.

"Can I have a glass of water to wash my mouth out first, please?" I asked. My voice was muffled and hard to understand in my head. The female market trader smiled and nodded. Then she left the room to retrieve a glass of water. I rested my head against my pillow and sat there, looking up at the ceiling. My mouth tasted horrible. I stuck my tongue out in disgust. When Roon came back, I washed my mouth out. Finally, I took the small tray off of the nightstand and ate. Roon smiled and left the room. I chewed slowly. More tears of sadness came down my face…

* * *

_In a different house…_

_Later on in the day, as the sun started to set, Beans came to see how the creatures in one of the rooms she was assigned to, were doing. Every rebel who weren't hurt, were assigned a room of wounded creatures to look after. Five rebels/market traders for each room and time. As she came in, she found Petunia sitting on the bed next to Kinski's curled up body, lightly running her fingers over his tangled blonde hair. "Petunia," Beans whispered, careful not to wake the other wounded creatures in the room. Petunia turned and saw Beans. Her huge eyes were wet with tears. She moved herself closer to Kinski's face and awkwardly wrapped her arms around his neck. _

"_I-is K-Kinski going to be o-ok?" she asked, sniffling. Beans felt tears coming to her eyes at the touching scene. Beans averted her eyes away and looked down at the ground. She wasn't sure. When she saw the hunchback, he had lost a lot of blood. Petunia's eyes filled up with tears again and she started to cry. She buried her face into Kinski's hair. Her small shoulders trembling and shaking. Beans looked up again. Then she slowly approached Petunia and sat down next to her on the bed. She placed a hand on the little five year old rodent's back. Petunia still cried. _

"_It's ok, Petunia, It's ok," she said. Beans looked down at Kinski. His eyes were squeezed shut, as if something was troubling his unconscious mind. Beans hesitated. She has never been this close to the hunchback. His features were very ugly looking, but had a nice softness to them. Beans cautiously lifted her hand to his face and lightly brushed the long strands of hair from his tightly closed eyes. _

_Kinski's face didn't flinch or move. Beans hand stayed in mid air for a moment, till it finally rested on Kinski's shoulder. He was stiff. Beans felt tears trickle down her face. She reached up and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. Beans' suddenly had feelings for the hunchback. She never had feelings for him…now she did. Because of Banshee. Beans smiled a small smile. _

_Suddenly, Doc came into the room. "Hello ladies," he whispered, "Is everything all right?" he asked. Beans looked back down at Petunia and Kinski. "I-I'm not sure, Kinski doesn't seem to be…" her voice faltered as she looked at Petunia's huge wet eyes. Doc walked up to them. "Well, let me see," he said and kindly asked them to get off the bed. Beans gently picked Petunia up. Petunia cried even more and held Kinski. Kinski's top half of his body was somewhat lifted off the pillow. _

_"Petunia, please. How can Doc know if Kinski is all right?" she asked. Petunia turned to Beans with huge eyes full of tears. Then she turned her head back to Kinski's head. Her tears dripped down onto his face and down his cheek. She hugged his neck one last time, before she finally let go. Kinski's limp head flopped back down onto the pillow. Beans took a step back and held Petunia in her arms. Petunia buried her face into Beans' shoulder. Damping it with her wet tears. _

_Doc carefully squeezed Kinski's stiff shoulders. Kinski didn't budge. Then he gently pushed Kinski to move over on his deformity. Kinski's body twitched in pain. Doc moved his hand away. Doc exchanged glances with Beans, who also saw Kinski flinch. He was barely alive. Finally, Doc bent down and awkwardly placed his ear over the hunchback's chest and listened. Doc's ear shifted around a bit. Listening for a heartbeat. Petunia lifted her head from Beans' shoulder and watched Doc. _

"_What're you doin'?" she asked. Doc slowly lifted his head up to the five year old rodent. "Trying to listen for a heartbeat," he said. Then he looked into his black bag and pulled out a stethoscope. "You wanna try?" he asked. Petunia smiled and nodded. Beans placed Petunia down and the little girl ran up to Doc. Doc showed her how to use it and let her try it out. _

_Petunia lifted the end of the stethoscope and placed it carefully over Kinski's chest. She listened for a minute, then moved it over a couple inches to a different area of Kinski's chest. Doc smiled up at Beans. "She's a professional," he said. Beans smiled and watched Petunia. Petunia could become a great doctor. The first female doctor in the town. _

_Petunia listened for a couple minutes. Finally, her mouth slowly curled up into a smile. "I hear his heart!" she cried happily. Beans told her to keep her voice down. "Here, listen," she said to Beans. Beans hesitated, but then accepted it and cautiously placed the end to Kinski's chest. She listened for a minute. Barely, she could hear Kinski's heart beating. She was quite amazed. She gave them back to Petunia, who instantly placed them back on and listened to Kinski's heartbeat again._

_No one noticed as the sun sank over the mountains and the evening became night. Stars came out and twinkled. Kinski's eyes instantly snapped wide open. Petunia yelped and jumped away. Kinski twisted up and sat bolt upright and breathed heavily, clutching his chest as the air rushed through his respiratory system. Doc and Beans jumped from Kinski's sudden action. _

"_K-Kinski! Are you ok?" asked Beans. Petunia smiled happily as she jumped up on the bed and hugged Kinski. Kinski jolted at the hug. He coughed a bit and breathed heavily. He looked down at Petunia, then up at Beans and Doc. His wide eyes shifted around the room. He noticed the sleeping wounded people. "V-vhere am I?" he asked, turning to Doc and Beans. "Yer in one of the houses of Rebel street," answered Beans. Doc came up to Kinski. "You were close to death, boy…" his voice trailed away as his eyes went up and down, observing Kinski. _

_Kinski narrowed his eyes for a minute, but then placed his hands on Petunia's waist and lifted her off of him. As he did, Doc's bloodshot eyes flickered to Kinski's bandaged waist. The beach ball sized blood blot started to shrink. His eyes widened. His mind picked back when Kinski burst into flames. He blinked and the blood blot was already the size of his fist. His eyes slowly looked up at Kinski, who's face was hardened and serious. The lighting in the room made his face sinister looking. Petunia moved away from Kinski and ran back to Beans. Doc slowly straightened up and backed away. _

_"Immortal…that's what you called yerself, right?" Doc asked. Kinski nodded. Then the hunchback jackrabbit looked down at his stomach. Not a trace of blood was seen. Kinski got up out of the bed and stood in front of them. He unwrapped the bandages from his stomach. The clean, white bandages fluttered to the floor. His dark blue longsleeve shirt and orange jumpsuit weren't ripped or covered in blood. The wound was gone, as if it never existed. Kinski lifted his head to the female lizard, five year old rodent, and bloodshot eyed white rabbit. _

"_Bill, Stump, Chorizo and I, are immortal… but only at night…ve can heal ourselves…" he explained but then faltered. Beans, Petunia, and Doc didn't speak. They were dumbfounded and in shock. Kinski sighed and lowered his head. He closed his eyes. _He was officially considered a freak. Besides his deformity, he had the ability of immortality…but only at night, and when the moon was out, he became an undead monster.

_Suddenly, Kinski felt a small pair of arms wrap around his legs. He opened his eyes and looked down. Petunia looked back up at him and smiled. Kinski stared at the girl for a minute, then smiled back. He lifted her up and held her. Petunia smiled and wrapped his arms around his neck. Beans and Doc smiled as well. Kinski had unbelievable, phenomenon, abilities, but he was still accepted..._

_Later, Petunia fell fast asleep on Kinski's bed. She hugged the stethoscope against her chest. Kinski gave the sleeping girl one last look before turneing to Beans and Doc. "Vhere's Banshee?" he asked. Beans touched Kinski's shoulder. "She's resting. I would suggest seeing her tomorrow," she said. Kinski hesitated. He really badly wanted to see Banshee. To see if she was ok. "No, I vant to see 'er," he said, and began to walk toward the door, but Beans still stood in his way. Beans stared up at the hunchback jackrabbit. "She's fine. Banshee needs to rest, now. You can see her in the mornin'" said Beans firmly. Kinski didnt say anything. _

_Finally, he lowered his head. His tangled blonde hair covered his eyes. "Ok," he said quietly. __After that, Beans and Kinski met up with Doc and walked down Rebel Street to the Gas Can Saloon where everyone else was, and went in to celebrate and have a drink._


	26. Chapter 26: End

**And now, the moment you have all been waiting for...the final chapter! yay!**

I couldn't sleep. My mind screamed and fought back and forth on whether Kinski was alive or not. Finally, I got sick of it. I got up and gingerly walked out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house. My legs were weak and tired, but I took my time and kept walking. I walked down Rebel street, not sure where to go. I didn't know where Kinski was. I wanted to know where he was. To see if he was ok. I rubbed my bandaged wings with caution and kept walking down the cold dirt road.

The night was cold but the lights inside rebel street burned warmly. The citizens were all inside the Gas Can Saloon, celebrating. Faint music poured out from the saloon. I stopped in front of the lit up saloon and hesitated. I wasn't sure on going in there, the citizens may send me back to my bed and rest. I stood there for a minute in the cold. Then I shrugged and carefully walked up the steps. _It doesn't matter_. I swung open the saloon doors and squinted. My eyes didn't like the sudden brightness of the light, but gradually got used to it. I looked around at everyone, until finally, my eyes stopped right when my heart skipped a beat.

Kinski was standing up at the back near the bar stools and talking to almost everyone. I stared at him for a minute. He was laughing and talking to them. He was socializing. I never thought he had the ability to actually socialize with the citizens. I was impressed. Just then, Spoons and Crispin asked him something, he smiled and nodded. The two took a step back and pulled out their guns. Kinski placed his arms out beside him. The two men shot a couple bullets into his stomach, which made me gasp. Kinski stood there, still smiling.

Everyone watched in amazement as the bullets evaporated away from the hunchback's stomach. Kinski brushed off the bits of bullet from his shirt with the back of his furry hand and grinned at the men. The men smiled in amazement and placed their guns back into their holsters. I then remembered back when he revealed that he was immortal, and calmed down a bit. A couple members of the posse patted Kinski on the shoulder, careful not to touch his hump, as he sat down at one of the bar stools.

Waffles came up to Kinski. "That's amazing Mr. Kinski! Yer so lucky to be immortal!" he said excitedly, jumping up and down. Kinski turned his head to Waffles. He smiled and shrugged. "Thanks, but it ain't permanent," he admitted. Waffles climbed up onto a bar stool next to him and fidgeted excitedly. "It don't matter! it's still a way to escape death! And it's so cool! I'd trade my soul to be half immortal!" the short horned lizard said. Kinski smiled.

His smile made me smile as well, I have never seen him so happy… ever since the day he got a firework. He was surrounded by people who finally looked at him as a friend, not a freak. He was finally accepted. Suddenly Buford noticed me, "Hey Banshee! Come on in!" he called. Everyone inside turned and smiled, then motioned for me to come in. Kinski swivelled around in his bar stool and noticed me. His smile disappeared and his mouth opened slightly in surprise at the sight of me. He stared. I stared back. I smiled a small nervous smile as I slowly approached him. Kinski got up from his seat as I came toward him. _Kinski felt rooted to the spot, he couldn't move. _

Suddenly, everyone gradually lowered their voice down until it was deathly silent. They watched as I slowly made my way to Kinski. _Kinski stiffened. His hands started to sweat. It was all the sudden very warm in the saloon for him, but he just stood there, frozen to the spot. His eyes glued to Banshee. Banshee stopped two feet in front of him._

"H-hey," he said with a small smile as I stopped in front of him. I smiled a small smile back. "Hi," I said. Kinski rubbed the back of his head. His eyes scanned up and down my bandaged body. We felt everyone's eyes watching us. I started to feel very uncomfortable. I rubbed my bandaged wings together. Kinski's eyes finally stopped looking up and down and finally met with my eyes. He stared back at mine. Suddenly, I felt all the nerve racking fears wash away. His hazel eyes hid behind his long blonde bangs, but I could see them. I felt numb.

I came closer up to Kinski. Kinski flinched but stayed where he stood. Finally I wrapped my bandaged wings around his furry neck. Kinski stiffened. I moved closer and nuzzled my head into his shirt, I have never been so happy in my entire remembered life. I went up on my tiptoes, making myself taller and up to his height. I could feel my heart pounding and my throat tightening, unable to breathe as I stood there, hugging Kinski.

_Kinski felt the tips of his drooping ears grow hot. His heart pounded inside his chest, and he felt his furry hands starting to sweat. What was this feeling? His stomach twisted, making him feel nauseous. He seemed stuck, he couldn't move. He could feel everyone's wide eyes on him, making him feel embarrassed. Suddenly, Kinski felt Banshee move her head. Her furry forehead lightly touched his. Kinski felt his throat tighten, making it hard to swallow. His wide eyes stared right back at her huge amber colored eyes. They were so beautiful. He felt all the tense mixed up feelings wash away from him. His tensed shoulders relaxed as he stared back at the fire that laid trapped within Banshee's eyes. He felt her lift her wing up to his head and moved the small strands of bangs from his eyes, but he didn't care. _

_Suddenly, the hypnotic trance was broken when Banshee closed her eyes, Kinski blinked, but all the sudden felt something warm touch his lips. He blinked and finally realized what was happening. Banshee was kissing him. His eyes widened in surprise. She was kissing him?! He didn't know what to do. His heart pounded faster against hers. Finally, the tense feeling washed away from him again. He closed his eyes and kissed her back. He lifted his hands up and laced his fingers through her hair. His fingers weaved through her short dark hair all the way to her ears on the top of her head. _

I felt Kinski's fingers snake their way into my short dark hair. His fingers brushed along my ears. As they did, the ringing in my ears gradually faded away till I couldn't hear it anymore. The invisible cotton in my damaged ears evaporated away. My ears flicked and swivelled as they started to pick up all the sounds in the room. My eyes widened and I pushed Kinski away from me. Kinski opened his eyes and blinked at me. Snapping back to reality.

I stared at Kinski in shock as I silently lifted a bandaged wing up to one of my ears and touched it. I could hear again. All the muffled sounds and whispers were gone. My ears were sharp and could hear every creak and moan in the saloon. I could hear everyone breathing and their hearts beating. Kinski and I both turned and found everyone's eyes staring right back at us. A huge wave of heat went over us. The atmosphere in the saloon all the sudden became too hard to breathe in. Just then, Buford's voice broke the uncomfortable silence. "Free drinks fer everyone!" he said.

Everyone broke out of their state of shock. They cheered and all filed over to the bar for a free drink. Kinski rubbed the back of his head and looked at me with a nervous smile on his face. I blushed and smiled as well. "Y-you vanna go outside?" asked Kinski in a low voice I could barely hear over all the ruckus in the saloon. I nodded and we walked out of the saloon. The cool night air seemed to calm us down and cooled the hot blanket feeling on our bodies. We stood there for a moment, not sure what to do or say.

Then I broke the silence. "How did you do it?" I asked. Kinski looked at me funny, "Do vhat?" he asked. I touched one of my ears with my bandaged wing again. "When you touched my ears, I instantly got my hearing back..." My voice faltered. Kinski licked his dry lips and looked away. Then he looked back at me and sighed.

"…Yah," he said, almost as if it was a personal thing. I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes. "How did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?" I asked him. Kinski shrugged. "I dunno… I jus' couldn't. I think…I think it happened Vhen Mr. Black tried making us "normal" again," he said. I nodded. Kinski looked down at my bandaged wings. Then he slowly lifted his hand up and ran his fingers across them. Gradually, I felt my bones and skin instantly fix themselves. It was like in reverse. I unravelled the bandages from my wings and flexed them. They were as good as new. I couldn't help but smile. "Thanks," I said.

Kinski smiled a small, shy smile. He blushed and looked down at his long rabbit feet. He didnt say anything. I looked down at my repaired wings. After a couple minutes of awkward silence, Kinski's eyes shifted to me. He silently looked down at my wing. He lightly brushed his furry hand up against my wing. Gradually, he curled his fingers around my long, webbed fingers and squeezed it tightly. I looked up at him. His eyes hid behind his bangs. I smiled up at him.

Finally he leaned down to my height. He moved his hair out of his eyes, then carefully brushed my hair out of mine. He leaned his head in and kissed me full on the mouth. My eyes widened and I felt like my heart was going to explode. Kinski moved his head away and took a step backwards. I blinked. Kinski gradually turned his head back to me, then his smile came back. I felt my face burn as my mouth formed into a smile.

* * *

_Outside the Town of Dirt..._

_Bill watched the bat and hunchback jackrabbit with hatred. Stump and Chorizo stood behind Bill. The three stood atop a dune. "What do we do now, boss?" asked Chorizo. Bill sneered as he watched Banshee and Kinski walk back into the saloon._ ...Let's go. We'll take over the town later... _said a cold voice in Bill's head. Bill nodded, "Ok, boss," he whispered. He finally turned to his henchman. "Let's go," he said and started to leave. Stump and Chorizo exchanged glances. Finally, they shrugged and followed their boss out to the neverending desert land... _

_To be continued...? _

* * *

**Done! *slams head down on table* Hope you enjoyed. Sorry I had to drag on the story like that. Anyway... I was thinking of starting up a second Beyond Western...still not sure. Tell me what you think. Anyway, Thank you everyone who read my story and survived. This behemoth wouldnt have been created without your support :)**

**My O.C.: Banshee**

**My Characters: Ricochet, Stub, Petunia, Kaliah, Mr. and Mrs. Rodent, Gerald, Roon, Burton, nameless security men, slaves, market traders, gangs and tourists. **


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